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The first senate was that of Senate is named for the [[Roman RepublicSenate]]. The senate was , the dominant force in the politics governing council of the Roman Republicancient Rome. The Roman Senate consisted Latin word means a council of 300 senators who met in elders, and derives from the [[Curia]] or Senate housesame Latin root as ''senior.''
The position of '''President of the Senate''' is filled by the [[Vice President of the United States]]. The Vice President only votes in the case of a tie. The Senate's current Majority Leader is [[Democrat]] [[Chuck Schumer]] and the Minority Leader is the [[Republican]] [[Mitch McConnell]]. Since all 50 states are represented equally in the Senate, because of the [[federalist]] principles in the Constitution, it is likely that conservatives will continue to have relatively strong influence in the Senate even if future demographic shifts favor leftist Democrats.<ref>Kurtz, Howard (October 12, 2018). [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/change-the-rules-why-the-left-is-slamming-the-senate-and-electoral-college Change the rules? Why the Left is slamming the Senate and Electoral College]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved October 12, 2018.</ref><ref>Kirkwood, R. Cort (July 18, 2018). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/item/29571-post-demographic-shift-really-be-bad-for-democracy Would Demographic Shift Really Be Bad For “Democracy”?] ''The New American''. Retrieved October 12, 2018.</ref> ==Powers of Senate==In addition to passing legislation, the Senate also has a number of unique and special powers.* The Senate has the power to try cases of impeachment of federal officials, should such officials be impeached by the House of Representatives. When the [[President]] in on trial, such proceedings are overseen by the Chief Justice of the United States. This has happened only three times: the impeachment proceedings of Presidents [[Andrew Johnson]], [[Bill Clinton]], and [[Donald Trump]]. None of them were removed from office. (The closest that a President has come to being removed was [[Richard Nixon]]; however, realizing that he would likely be removed from office, chose to resign instead.)* The Constitution gives the Senate the power to "advice and consent" appointments made by the [[President]]. Major appointments subject to this include heads of Cabinet-level federal departments, [[Supreme Court]] justices, [[U.S. District Court]] and [[United States Court of Appeals]] judges, [[U.S. Attorney]]s, ambassadors to foreign powers, high-ranking military commands and certain federal agencies such as [[NASA]] or the [[Environmental Protection Agency]].* The Senate ratifies all treaties between the United States and foreign powers.* If there no majority in the [[Electoral College]], the Senate selects the Vice President while the House selects the President. The Senate has only used this power once: in 1837, when it elected [[Richard Mentor Johnson]] Vice President after Virginia's delegates to the Electoral College voted for Martin Van Buren but refused to vote for him, giving him one vote shy of a majority. Under the Twelfth Amendment, the Senate elected Johnson 36 to 16 with three abstentions along sharp party lines.* A notable difference between the Senate and the House of Representatives is the ability for the minority to filibuster; in other words, 60 votes are required to force legislation to continue onto a voting period. The filibuster is important to prevent a majority of even 51 to 49 from forcing legislation through. This was crucial during the 110th congress from 2007-2009, where the Democrat Party had a majority of merely 51-49, and if not for the filibuster could have forced potentially harmful legislation through. However, in recent years the filibuster has been watered down. ==Current Composition==*Democrat Party (Majority): 48*Republican Party (Minority): 50*Independent (caucus with Democrats) : 2 [[Ann Coulter]] complained that "Republicans lost their majorities in the House and the Senate in 2006, thanks to George W. Bush's highly effective "Keep the Base at Home on Election Day" campaign, which consisted of pushing amnesty for illegal aliens."<ref>[http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2013-10-30.html Thank these Republicans for Obamacare]</ref> == In fiction ==The Senate has figured very prominently in American literature and especially [[motion picture|cinema]]. Arguably the two most famous motion pictures in which the Senate and/or certain fictitious members of it figure prominently are: * ''[[Mr. Smith Goes to Washington]],'' in which an ingenuous [[Jefferson Smith|interim Senator]] comes to the Senate and rebels against the graft and chicanery that he discovers there. So accurate were the replicas of the Senate chambers, galleries, and cloakroom that Columbia Pictures Corporation built for the film that visitors to the Senate galleries have often remarked that their visit was like appearing in the movie.* ''[[The Manchurian Candidate]],'' in which the wife of one member of the [[New York State]] Senate delegation hypnotically orders her son to kill the other member of that delegation, as part of a much larger plot to make her husband [[President of the United States]] "with powers that will make [[martial law]] seem like [[anarchy]]." ==Bibliography==[[File:Seal of the Senate.png|right|200px|thumb|The third Seal of the United States Senate, adopted in 1886. At the top of the circle can be seen a red [[Liberty Cap]]]]===Official Senate histories===The following are published by the Senate Historical Office.* [[Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]], 1774–1989* [[Robert C. Byrd]]. ''The Senate, 1789–1989''. Four volumes.** Vol. I, a chronological series of addresses on the history of the Senate** Vol. II, a topical series of addresses on various aspects of the Senate's operation and powers** Vol. III, Classic Speeches, 1830–1993** Vol. IV, Historical Statistics, 1789–1992* Dole, Bob. ''Historical Almanac of the United States Senate''* Hatfield, Mark O., with the Senate Historical Office. ''Vice Presidents of the United States, 1789–1993'' ([https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Vice_President.htm essays reprinted online])* Frumin, Alan S. ''[http://www.gpoaccess.gov/riddick/index.html Riddick's Senate Procedure]''. (1992). ===Scholarly studies ===* Baker, Richard A. ''The Senate of the United States: A Bicentennial History'' (1988).* Baker, Richard A., ed., ''First Among Equals: Outstanding Senate Leaders of the Twentieth Century'' Congressional Quarterly, 1991. biographies of famous Senators* Barone, Michael, and Grant Ujifusa, ''The Almanac of American Politics 1976: The Senators, the Representatives and the Governors: Their Records and Election Results, Their States and Districts'' (1975); new edition every 2 years; latest issue August 2009.* David W. Brady and Mathew D. McCubbins. ''Party, Process, and Political Change in Congress: New Perspectives on the History of Congress'' (2002)* [[Robert A. Caro|Caro, Robert A.]] ''The Years of Lyndon Johnson. Vol. 3: Master of the Senate.'' Knopf, 2002.* Comiskey, Michael. ''Seeking Justices: The Judging of Supreme Court Nominees'' U. Press of Kansas, 2004.* Congressional Quarterly '' Congress and the Nation: 2001–2004: A Review of Government and Politics: 107th and 108th Congresses '' (2005); massive, highly detailed summary of Congressional activity, as well as major executive and judicial decisions; based on ''Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report'' and the annual CQ almanac; (CQ is a private company; it is nonpartisan and relied upon by all Senate watchers)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1997–2001 '' (2002)** Congressional Quarterly. ''Congress and the Nation: 1993–1996 '' (1998)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1989–1992 '' (1993)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1985–1988 '' (1989)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1981–1984 '' (1985)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1977–1980 '' (1981)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1973–1976 '' (1977)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1969–1972 '' (1973)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1965–1968 '' (1969)** Congressional Quarterly, ''Congress and the Nation: 1945–1964 '' (1965), the first of the series* Cooper, John Milton, Jr. ''Breaking the Heart of the World: Woodrow Wilson and the Fight for the League of Nations. '' (2001).* Davidson, Roger H., and Walter J. Oleszek, eds. ''Congress and Its Members'', (CQ, 10th ed. 2007) (Legislative procedure, informal practices, and member information)* Gould, Lewis L. ''The Most Exclusive Club: A History Of The Modern United States Senate'' (2005), the best history, by a leading historian* Hernon, Joseph Martin. ''Profiles in Character: Hubris and Heroism in the U.S. Senate, 1789–1990'' (1997).* Hoebeke, C. H. ''The Road to Mass Democracy: Original Intent and the Seventeenth Amendment.'' (1995). (popular elections of Senators)* Lee, Frances E. and Oppenheimer, Bruce I. ''Sizing Up the Senate: The Unequal Consequences of Equal Representation.'' (1999). 304 pp.* Malsberger, John W. ''From Obstruction to Moderation: The Transformation of Senate Conservatism, 1938–1952.'' (2000)* Mann, Robert. ''The Walls of Jericho: Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Richard Russell and the Struggle for Civil Rights.'' (1996)* Ritchie, Donald A. ''Press Gallery: Congress and the Washington Correspondents''. (1991).* Ritchie, Donald A. ''The Congress of the United States: A Student Companion'' (2nd ed. 2001).* Ritchie, Donald A. ''Reporting from Washington: The History of the Washington Press Corps'' (2005).* Rothman, David. ''Politics and Power the United States Senate 1869–1901'' (1966)* Swift, Elaine K. ''The Making of an American Senate: Reconstitutive Change in Congress, 1787–1841''. (1996)* Valeo, Frank. ''Mike Mansfield, Majority Leader: A Different Kind of Senate, 1961–1976'' (1999) Montana Democrat and majority leader* VanBeek, Stephen D. ''Post-Passage Politics: Bicameral Resolution in Congress.'' (1995)* Weller, Cecil Edward, Jr. ''Joe T. Robinson: Always a Loyal Democrat.'' (1998). (Arkansas Democrat who was Majority leader in 1930s)* Wirls, Daniel and Wirls, Stephen. ''The Invention of the United States Senate'' (2004). (Early history)* Zelizer, Julian E. ''On Capitol Hill : The Struggle to Reform Congress and its Consequences, 1948–2000'' (2006)* Zelizer, Julian E., ed. ''The American Congress: The Building of Democracy'' (2004) (overview) ====References====
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==See also==
* [[Congress]]
* [[U.S. Senate Glossary]]
* [[Senate Select Committee on Intelligence]]
==External links==
*[http://www.opencongress.org/person/senators OpenCongress - Senators]
[[Category:United States of America]]
[[Category:United States Congress]]
[[Category:United States Senate]]
[[Category:United States Elected Officials]]
