Filibuster
Definition
A Filibuster is an action such as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in a legislative assembly while not technically contravening the required procedures. A filibuster is a tactic used in the United States Senate to delay or block a vote on a measure by preventing debate on it from ending. The Senate's rules place few restrictions on debate; in general, if no other senator is speaking, a senator who seeks recognition is entitled to speak for as long as they wish. The Senate tradition of unlimited debate has allowed for the use of the filibuster, a loosely defined term for action designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question. Prior to 1917 the Senate rules did not provide for a way to end debate and force a vote on a measure. That year, the Senate adopted a rule to allow a two-thirds majority to end a filibuster, a procedure known as "cloture." In 1975 the Senate reduced the number of votes required for cloture from two-thirds of senators voting to three-fifths of all senators duly chosen and sworn, or 60 of the 100-member Senate.
Example
Questions
Use filibuster in a sentence of your own design or select an emoji that encapsulates the meaning of the filibuster
While there were relatively few examples of the practice before the 1830s, the strategy of “talking a bill to death” was common enough by mid-century to gain a colorful label—the filibuster. Derived from a Dutch word for “freebooter” and the Spanish “filibusteros”—to describe the pirates then raiding Caribbean islands—the term began appearing in American legislative debates in the 1850s. “I saw my friend standing on the other side of the House filibustering,” commented Mississippi’s Albert Brown on January 3, 1853. A month later, North Carolina senator George Badger complained of “filibustering speeches," and the term became a permanent part of our political lexicon. Translate filibuster into your own words.
Whether praised as the protector of political minorities from the tyranny of the majority, or attacked as a tool of partisan obstruction, the right of unlimited debate in the Senate, including the filibuster, has been a key component of the Senate’s unique role in the American political system. Do you see filibuster as a positive or negative tool?
If I told you I had a friend in college named Phil E. Buster would you believe me?
How does the filibuster impact your own life?
Do you think the filibuster should be ended?
Do you think the United States would be better off without the filibuster?
How many senators does it take to start a filibuster?
How many senators does it take to end a filibuster?
What is the name of the vote to stop a filibuster?
Remember!
Now, let’s commit this term to our long-term memory. On a scrap piece of paper, take 10 or 20 seconds to draw filibuster Draw with symbols or stick figures if you wish. Nothing fancy. Don’t expect a masterpiece. No one else will see this but you. Look at your drawing. That’s all - now it’s downloaded into your memory. Destroy the piece of paper in a most delightful way.
Further Review
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