Mr. Smith Goes to Washington- Video worksheet

Use this sheet (and the backside) to take notes during the movie. The notes you write down will be turned in along with a 1 page essay after you have watched the movie.

Vocabulary

Political Machine-

Stereotype-

‘All-American personality’-

Filibuster-

Legislative process-

Influence-

Congressional committees-

Characters- identify their characteristics, stereotypes and would they be the same today?

1. Jefferson Smith- ______

2. Senator Joe Paine- ______

3. Clarissa Saunders- ______

4. Jim Taylor- ______

5. Governor (Happy) Hopper-______

6. Diz Moore-______

7. ______

8.Washington Media (radio and newspapers)______

9. Willet Creek Dam Project-______

10. National Boys Camp-______

Examples of the legislative process(rules of procedures)/Congressional committees/members of Congress daily activities.

1. Appointing a new Senator-______

2. Procedures in the Senate-______

3. Presenting and Passing a bill- ______

4. Senate Ethics______

5.______

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington- EssayDue-______

After watching the movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, you are to answer the following questions. Each question must be answered in a paragraph with at least 3-5 complete sentences. Your answers should be typed, however you may write them out in ink only. If you type your essay you should use 1.5 line spacing and a font of 12. Your answer will not be more than one typed page. As you answer the question, you must be specific with your examples. Using vague, unclear, answers will cause points to be deducted from your score. 25 points

  1. What is a political machine? How does a political machine work? What were some actions the machine took to expose Senator Smith as a fraud? Who is the leader of the machine in the movie and who is the politician of the machine? (10 points)
  1. Even during debate and filibuster, the Senators had to follow specific procedures and rules. What is the government so formal? Why do they strictly enforce all the rules of procedures? What are some of the specific rules of procedure that Jefferson Smith and the other Senators had to follow either during the debate or at other times during the video? (10 points)
  1. Using the video, relate the theme of the video to modern day politics. How realistic do you think the video was in portraying the legislative process, the relationships between member of government and the influence of money and private citizens on government? You may talk about stereotypes and other examples of propaganda put into the movie about some of the characters. (5 points)