WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.899 Welcome to the Deep Dive. We have a massive amount 00:00:03.899 --> 00:00:06.500 of ground to cover today. We really do. Today's 00:00:06.500 --> 00:00:09.199 mission is an exploration of the surprisingly 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:12.720 dramatic, intensely consequential, and constantly 00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:14.699 evolving history of the United States Senate. 00:00:14.919 --> 00:00:19.039 And we're basing this entirely on a comprehensive 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:22.019 Wikipedia history of the institution. Exactly. 00:00:22.379 --> 00:00:25.179 So if you are listening to this, you're the learner 00:00:25.179 --> 00:00:27.620 here. You probably look at the modern Senate 00:00:27.620 --> 00:00:31.339 and see this maze of complex rules, parliamentary 00:00:31.339 --> 00:00:34.520 procedures, and, well, frequent gridlock. Right. 00:00:34.700 --> 00:00:36.579 It can look pretty dry from the outside. But 00:00:36.579 --> 00:00:39.380 our goal today is to demystify all of that. We 00:00:39.380 --> 00:00:42.280 want to show you how a single 5 -4 vote at the 00:00:42.280 --> 00:00:45.600 1787 Constitutional Convention, the Connecticut 00:00:45.600 --> 00:00:48.159 Compromise, basically created this legislative 00:00:48.159 --> 00:00:50.100 body that would completely shape the nation. 00:00:50.299 --> 00:00:52.100 It really proves the Senate is far more than 00:00:52.100 --> 00:00:54.399 just a boring room where bills go to die. Okay, 00:00:54.439 --> 00:00:56.219 let's unpack this. We have to start with the 00:00:56.219 --> 00:00:58.200 wild early days of the Senate. Yeah, the early 00:00:58.200 --> 00:00:59.780 days are fascinating. Because the very first 00:00:59.780 --> 00:01:02.700 Congress met in 1789, they were in New York City, 00:01:02.979 --> 00:01:05.079 and they held their Senate sessions in complete 00:01:05.079 --> 00:01:08.069 secrecy. Completely locked down. I mean, no journalists, 00:01:08.430 --> 00:01:10.969 no public spectators allowed in the galleries, 00:01:11.310 --> 00:01:14.150 nothing. It sounds so bizarre to us now. Right. 00:01:14.709 --> 00:01:16.790 But there is a reason for it. It really matters. 00:01:17.250 --> 00:01:19.650 The founders intended the Senate to be a much 00:01:19.650 --> 00:01:22.489 slower, more deliberate check on the House of 00:01:22.489 --> 00:01:24.209 Representatives. Because the House was supposed 00:01:24.209 --> 00:01:26.650 to be the voice of the people. Exactly. The House 00:01:26.650 --> 00:01:29.269 was reacting to the passions of the day. But 00:01:29.269 --> 00:01:32.560 the Senate... They locked the doors so they could 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:35.019 debate without that immediate public pressure. 00:01:35.420 --> 00:01:38.239 Wow. And you see this culture solidify early 00:01:38.239 --> 00:01:42.019 on. Take the 1804 impeachment acquittal of Supreme 00:01:42.019 --> 00:01:44.500 Court Justice Samuel Chase. Right. That was a 00:01:44.500 --> 00:01:47.000 huge moment. It was. The House impeached him 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:49.379 basically over political differences, but the 00:01:49.379 --> 00:01:52.079 Senate acquitted him. And Aaron Burr, who was 00:01:52.079 --> 00:01:54.219 vice president at the time. He actually presided 00:01:54.219 --> 00:01:56.459 over that trial, right? He did. And he gave this 00:01:56.459 --> 00:01:59.079 famous farewell quote right after. He called 00:01:59.079 --> 00:02:02.599 the Senate a sanctuary, a citadel of law and 00:02:02.599 --> 00:02:06.219 order meant to resist the storms of political 00:02:06.219 --> 00:02:08.699 frenzy. The storms of political frenzy. I love 00:02:08.699 --> 00:02:10.740 that 19th century language. It's very traumatic. 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:14.780 But those storms were very real, which brings 00:02:14.780 --> 00:02:18.340 us to the 1820s through the 1860s, the crucible 00:02:18.340 --> 00:02:21.639 of slavery and sectional conflict. This is where 00:02:21.639 --> 00:02:23.960 that structural imbalance really takes center 00:02:23.960 --> 00:02:26.060 stage. Right, because the defining feature of 00:02:26.060 --> 00:02:28.699 the Senate is equal representation. Every state 00:02:28.699 --> 00:02:31.199 gets two votes, regardless of population. And 00:02:31.199 --> 00:02:33.979 that made it the ultimate battleground for the 00:02:33.979 --> 00:02:36.259 issue of slavery. Because the North's population 00:02:36.259 --> 00:02:39.060 was just exploding at this time. Exactly. The 00:02:39.060 --> 00:02:41.379 North easily took control of the House of Representatives 00:02:41.379 --> 00:02:44.539 because of their population size. But the Senate... 00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:46.780 That was a different story. The Senate allowed 00:02:46.780 --> 00:02:49.759 the slave states to maintain this incredibly 00:02:49.759 --> 00:02:52.639 powerful grip on the legislative agenda. They 00:02:52.639 --> 00:02:55.340 absolutely needed to keep a perfect balance of 00:02:55.340 --> 00:02:57.939 free and slave states to hold on to that power. 00:02:58.060 --> 00:03:00.439 Which led to some incredibly intense moments, 00:03:00.599 --> 00:03:02.879 like the Webster -Hain debate of 1830. Oh, that 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:05.219 was huge. New England pitted directly against 00:03:05.219 --> 00:03:07.879 the South. Just massive sectional tension, and 00:03:07.879 --> 00:03:10.419 lawmakers were constantly trying to pass legislation 00:03:10.419 --> 00:03:12.599 to keep the country from falling apart. You had 00:03:12.599 --> 00:03:14.990 the Missouri Compromise of 1820. And then the 00:03:14.990 --> 00:03:17.650 compromise of 1850 later on. But the tension 00:03:17.650 --> 00:03:20.289 kept building until it reached a literal boiling 00:03:20.289 --> 00:03:25.210 point. This detail is just shocking. In 1856, 00:03:25.610 --> 00:03:28.210 Senator Charles Sumner gave a speech heavily 00:03:28.210 --> 00:03:30.590 criticizing slavery. And then a few days later. 00:03:30.949 --> 00:03:33.289 A representative, Preston Brooks, walked right 00:03:33.289 --> 00:03:36.289 onto the Senate floor and physically assaulted 00:03:36.289 --> 00:03:38.629 Sumner. He beat him with a metal -topped cane. 00:03:38.770 --> 00:03:41.939 Right at his desk. beaten unconscious over a 00:03:41.939 --> 00:03:44.780 speech, it just emphasizes how insanely high 00:03:44.780 --> 00:03:46.639 the stakes were. It really does. And I want to 00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:49.280 ask, what stands out to you listening to this? 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:51.560 It's a great question to think about. Because 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:54.740 we often think of rules, like equal state representation, 00:03:55.400 --> 00:03:58.419 as just procedural math. But you have to think 00:03:58.419 --> 00:04:00.460 about how these structural rules can literally 00:04:00.460 --> 00:04:03.219 dictate the fate of millions of lives. Yeah. 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:05.800 This mathematical rule pushed an entire nation 00:04:05.800 --> 00:04:08.219 towards civil war. It's heavy. And it changes 00:04:08.219 --> 00:04:09.900 the way you look at the institution. Definitely. 00:04:10.180 --> 00:04:13.500 Moving forward post -Civil War. From 1865 to 00:04:13.500 --> 00:04:16.240 1945, we move from the Gilded Age power brokers 00:04:16.240 --> 00:04:19.139 to the era of direct democracy. Which is a massive 00:04:19.139 --> 00:04:21.579 transition. Because right after the Civil War, 00:04:21.920 --> 00:04:23.959 senators were still not elected by the people. 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:26.660 They were chosen by state legislatures. Which 00:04:26.660 --> 00:04:30.319 meant wealthy financiers and party bosses essentially 00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:32.639 ran the chamber. People like Nelson Aldrich. 00:04:32.889 --> 00:04:35.470 The Millionaire's Club. Exactly. But even in 00:04:35.470 --> 00:04:38.550 that super restrictive era, we see some incredible 00:04:38.550 --> 00:04:42.009 trailblazers, like Hiram Revels. The first African 00:04:42.009 --> 00:04:45.430 -American senator. Right, in 1870. And his seating 00:04:45.430 --> 00:04:48.910 wasn't easy. He had to survive a 48 to 8 vote 00:04:48.910 --> 00:04:51.209 just to take his seat because members formally 00:04:51.209 --> 00:04:54.050 objected. And he got in. He did. And he was followed 00:04:54.050 --> 00:04:57.910 by Blanche Bruce. Plus, in 1907, Charles Curtis 00:04:57.910 --> 00:05:00.709 became the first Native American senator. some 00:05:00.709 --> 00:05:03.129 really significant firsts during a very elite 00:05:03.129 --> 00:05:05.509 time. But here's where it gets really interesting. 00:05:05.629 --> 00:05:09.149 Now, the 17th Amendment? Yes, 1913. The 17th 00:05:09.149 --> 00:05:11.250 Amendment fundamentally changes everything. It 00:05:11.250 --> 00:05:13.949 mandated the direct popular election of senators. 00:05:14.069 --> 00:05:16.350 If we connect this to the bigger picture, being 00:05:16.350 --> 00:05:18.629 accountable to actual voters suddenly changed 00:05:18.629 --> 00:05:20.470 the entire face of the Senate. They actually 00:05:20.470 --> 00:05:23.050 had to campaign. Right. And because of that, 00:05:23.259 --> 00:05:25.959 The demographics started to shift. You get the 00:05:25.959 --> 00:05:29.019 first woman elected, Hattie Caraway, in 1932. 00:05:29.459 --> 00:05:33.180 And Dena Chavez in 1935, the first Latino elected 00:05:33.180 --> 00:05:35.600 to a full term. The democratization of the chamber 00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:38.019 was really underway. But while who was in the 00:05:38.019 --> 00:05:40.660 chamber changed, the rules of debate were still 00:05:40.660 --> 00:05:43.399 wild. Let's talk about the filibuster. The famous 00:05:43.399 --> 00:05:46.079 filibuster. It was actually rarely used until 00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:48.639 World War One. There was this small group of 00:05:48.639 --> 00:05:51.439 senators who completely blocked a bill to arm 00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:53.839 U .S. merchant ships. President Woodrow Wilson 00:05:53.839 --> 00:05:56.180 was furious about that. Live it. He called them 00:05:56.180 --> 00:05:58.819 a little group of willful men. And that public 00:05:58.819 --> 00:06:01.759 fury led directly to the 1917 creation of the 00:06:01.759 --> 00:06:04.720 cloture rule, a way to actually end debate, which 00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:06.839 originally required a massive two thirds vote 00:06:06.839 --> 00:06:09.639 to pull off. Right. So moving into our third 00:06:09.639 --> 00:06:12.040 section here, the modern Senate, we're looking 00:06:12.040 --> 00:06:15.040 at 1945 to the present, independence, the Cold 00:06:15.040 --> 00:06:17.620 War, and civil rights. The modern era really 00:06:17.620 --> 00:06:19.959 shows the Senate flexing its institutional muscles. 00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:22.680 Oh, absolutely. They weren't afraid to stand 00:06:22.680 --> 00:06:25.839 up to massively popular presidents. Like in 1937, 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:29.040 FDR tried to push his court packing plan. And 00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:31.430 he was at the height of his popularity. But the 00:06:31.430 --> 00:06:33.889 Senate flat out rejected it. They protected their 00:06:33.889 --> 00:06:36.529 institutional norms. And you see that global 00:06:36.529 --> 00:06:39.649 focus shift, too, right after World War II. Managing 00:06:39.649 --> 00:06:42.970 the Cold War. Exactly. They ratified NATO, approved 00:06:42.970 --> 00:06:45.250 the Marshall Plan. It became heavily focused 00:06:45.250 --> 00:06:48.089 on global foreign policy. But domestically, things 00:06:48.089 --> 00:06:51.170 got very dark in the 1950s. The McCarthy era. 00:06:51.470 --> 00:06:54.029 Yeah. Senator Joe McCarthy leading these massive 00:06:54.029 --> 00:06:57.029 anti -communist investigations. He used his committee 00:06:57.029 --> 00:06:59.769 power to make these sweeping accusations, ruining 00:06:59.769 --> 00:07:02.069 lives across government in Hollywood. But ultimately, 00:07:02.269 --> 00:07:05.589 the Senate policed its own. In 1954, they formally 00:07:05.589 --> 00:07:09.050 censured him in a 67 to 22 vote. Which effectively 00:07:09.050 --> 00:07:11.310 ended his influence. And right around that same 00:07:11.310 --> 00:07:13.810 time, you have the rise of Lyndon B. Johnson. 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:16.800 LBJ, the master of the Senate. He practically 00:07:16.800 --> 00:07:19.160 invented the modern majority leader rule. He 00:07:19.160 --> 00:07:21.779 used it to just completely dominate the chamber. 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:24.160 He used every trick in the book to push through 00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:27.120 the 1957 Civil Rights Act. And the rules kept 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:30.620 evolving. In 1975, they lowered that cloture 00:07:30.620 --> 00:07:32.939 rule threshold from two thirds down to three 00:07:32.939 --> 00:07:35.100 fifths, making it slightly easier to break a 00:07:35.100 --> 00:07:37.199 filibuster, though it's still a huge hurdle today. 00:07:37.290 --> 00:07:39.829 Definitely. Now, looking at the modern era, it 00:07:39.829 --> 00:07:42.550 is just a joy to run through the rapid expansion 00:07:42.550 --> 00:07:44.970 of representation we've seen. It really accelerates 00:07:44.970 --> 00:07:47.449 here. Hiram Fong became the first Asian -American 00:07:47.449 --> 00:07:52.069 senator in 1959. Edward W. Brook in 1966. Carol 00:07:52.069 --> 00:07:54.529 Moseley Braun became the first African -American 00:07:54.529 --> 00:07:57.810 woman elected in 1992. Tammy Baldwin, the first 00:07:57.810 --> 00:08:01.089 openly gay senator in 2012. Catherine Cortez 00:08:01.089 --> 00:08:04.529 Masto, the first Latina in 2017. The momentum 00:08:04.529 --> 00:08:06.730 is incredible. And even just looking at 2020. 00:08:06.569 --> 00:08:09.850 25 milestones. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Angela 00:08:09.850 --> 00:08:12.529 Alsobrook serving simultaneously. Andy Kim is 00:08:12.529 --> 00:08:14.610 the first Korean -American. It's a completely 00:08:14.610 --> 00:08:17.449 different chamber than the one in 1789. And we 00:08:17.449 --> 00:08:19.290 should give a nod to the non -elected trailblazers, 00:08:19.550 --> 00:08:21.750 too. People like Paulette DeSalle, the first 00:08:21.750 --> 00:08:24.750 female page, and Kathy Alvarez, the first female 00:08:24.750 --> 00:08:27.129 legislative clerk. They broke massive barriers 00:08:27.129 --> 00:08:29.129 behind the scenes. OK, so we wrap up. I have 00:08:29.129 --> 00:08:32.330 to mention this fun fact from the text. 17 US 00:08:32.330 --> 00:08:34.590 presidents used the Senate as a stepping stone. 00:08:34.710 --> 00:08:39.490 That's a huge number. Truman, JFK, LBJ, Nixon, 00:08:40.210 --> 00:08:43.690 Obama, Biden. The list goes on. It's the ultimate 00:08:43.690 --> 00:08:46.470 proving ground for a national profile. So what 00:08:46.470 --> 00:08:49.370 does this all mean? We started with a secretive 00:08:49.370 --> 00:08:52.669 elite club of men chosen by state legislatures 00:08:52.669 --> 00:08:55.669 in a locked room. And we tracked it all the way 00:08:55.669 --> 00:08:59.240 to a transparent, directly elected body. A body 00:08:59.240 --> 00:09:02.200 that still grapples with immense power, constant 00:09:02.200 --> 00:09:05.059 filibusters, and trying to represent a highly 00:09:05.059 --> 00:09:08.100 diverse nation. At the end of the day, the Senate 00:09:08.100 --> 00:09:11.639 was designed by the founders to force compromise. 00:09:11.740 --> 00:09:14.019 To slow things down. Exactly. To slow down the 00:09:14.019 --> 00:09:15.600 passions of the day for better or worse. For 00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:17.879 better or worse. And I want to leave you, the 00:09:17.879 --> 00:09:20.559 listener, with a final thought to mull over. 00:09:20.679 --> 00:09:22.779 Go for it. The Senate was originally built to 00:09:22.779 --> 00:09:25.580 be isolated from popular opinion. They were chosen 00:09:25.580 --> 00:09:28.500 by state legislatures, yet they gave equal voting 00:09:28.500 --> 00:09:31.120 power to every single state. Right. But now, 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:33.519 the 17th Amendment has subjected senators to 00:09:33.519 --> 00:09:36.399 direct democracy. Yet the massive population 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:39.120 disparities between modern states remain equally 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:41.940 represented. That's a huge tension. So does the 00:09:41.940 --> 00:09:44.399 current Senate function as the constitutional 00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:48.120 framers intended, or has it mutated into a fundamentally 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:50.899 different institution that is just trapped inside 00:09:50.899 --> 00:09:54.789 its original 1787 architecture? Wow. That is 00:09:54.789 --> 00:09:56.669 an incredibly provocative thought to end on, 00:09:56.889 --> 00:09:59.049 a mutated institution trapped in its original 00:09:59.049 --> 00:10:00.970 architecture. Well, thank you for joining us 00:10:00.970 --> 00:10:02.990 on this deep dive. We hope you feel a little 00:10:02.990 --> 00:10:05.210 more equipped to understand the history echoing 00:10:05.210 --> 00:10:07.190 through the halls of the Capitol today. Keep 00:10:07.190 --> 00:10:08.590 learning and we'll catch you next time.