Introduction

Enduring Knowledge: Because Senators represent entire states, have longer terms, and follow different rules of debate than the House of Representatives, the Senate is generally considered the upper house with more prestige and power.

Study the cartoon below. Choose three characters or objects in the cartoon that stand out to you and describe the significance of each. What point is the cartoonist trying to make concerning the Senate?

Open Political Cartoon in a new window | Political Cartoon text version

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This 1905 illustration, titled "The Commerical Club of Washington", shows Senator Nelson Aldrich as "king" of the Senate sitting on a throne with a diminutive Theodore Roosevelt kneeling before him bearing the "President's Message". (Library of Congress).


Lesson Objectives

Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

  • Identify the key features of the Senate.
  • Describe the roles and organization of leadership in the Senate.
  • Compare the rules of operation in the Senate to those in the House of Representatives.
  • Examine the different types of committees and their structure in the Senate.

The above objectives correspond with the Alabama Course of Study: Government objective(s): 11.1, 11.2.

This lesson incorporates the following Literacy Standards: R1, R2, R4, R7, W1, W2, W4, and W8.

 

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