The main characters in the movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, are Jefferson Smith, his secretary Clarissa Saunders, the senior senator from Smith’s state, Joseph Paine, and a newspaper magnate by the name of Jim Taylor. Jefferson Smith is in charge of the Boy Rangers and is avery patriotic but politically inexperienced man. His secretary Clarissa Saunders has lived and worked in Washington for some time and has become disillusioned with politics and tells Smith to go home, that a man like him has no chance in D.C. Senator Joseph Paine is the senior senator in the state he and Smith are representing. Paine’s career success is owed in large part to Jim Taylor, the crooked newspaper man who helped Paine win his seat. Jim Taylor has a large …show more content…
This is reminiscent of interest groups tugging the government's attention and pocketbook towards their causes. The most direct connection to the government is at the very beginning of the movie when the governor of Smith’s state must appoint a senator to fill a vacancy. Under the Seventeenth Amendment, if a vacancy occurs due to the death or resignation of a senator, in most states, the governor of that state can directly appoint a senator until the next election. Another direct connection was the committee which investigated Smith, now called the Ethics Committee. One of the biggest connections to government was Smith’s use of a filibuster to protest the proposed dam. There is a man from CBS news giving a radio broadcast who reads the rules of a filibuster, that the senator cannot stop talking and cannot take a seat while they are talking or they will lose the floor. Another connection was between government and the press. In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, the press uses the tactic of framing, twisting the headlines to suit their point of view. One of the other newspapermen quips that the stories about Smith are “Taylor made.” Framing is the technique of putting importance on a certain issue and giving it meaning to suit the media point of view. Taylor was against Smith, so …show more content…
Smith Goes to Washington and its message were especially relevant at the time of its release, which enhances the plot. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was released in October of 1939, ten years after the beginning of the Great Depression and one month after the start of World War II in Europe. Overall, the movie inspires hope in viewers. The viewers see Smith struggle his way through Washington D.C., being beaten down by the press and other senators, but in the end they see Smith prevail. The plot of the movie is meant to reassure viewers that democracy is all well and living and that through persistence and pure intent, anyone can succeed. I felt the movie was meant to inspire efficacy in viewers and show that someone in government will always have the common man’s best interest at heart. During the Great Depression there was a huge expansion of the Federal government’s powers, and I think Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was intended to remind people that their interests were still well represented and that the principles of liberty and justice for all were intact. There is a lot of patriotic themes throughout the movie, which I thought served as reminders that America is unique, and the patriotism and spirit of democracy contrasted with what viewers knew was happening in Europe. The romance between Smith and Saunders was a reminder that, hardened as they might seem, the government is no different than the people whose liberties it guarantees. It also shows that there is
The main plot of the movie, Mr. Smith goes to Washington is a conflict between Jeff Smith, Senator Paine, and Jim Taylor. A senator of a state passed away causing a new senator needing to be appointed. Jim Taylor a local publicist who had pull around the Senate, pressured the governor to select Jefferson Smith. He was appointed as the new Senator of the State, because everyone thought that he was incompetent, naive, and would not get in their way. However when Smith passed a clever bill that got in the way of Jim Taylor’s scandal, Jim and Senator Paine tried to do whatever they could to get Jeffrey expelled from the Senate.
She knows that other people have much control over the government and is quite cynical. Mr. Smith is a pure, truthful man who loves and trusts his government. He wants to do what is right for the people and wants to make his country proud. However, by the end of the movie these attitudes change. By the end the events that occur open Mr. Smith’s eyes to how the government really operates. He sees how this one powerful man can control his whole state and turn them all against him. He may still be the same good man he was before but he has had a look inside of how the government operates and may not be as trusting as he once was. Saunders has been filled with hope by the change that one senator could make. His struggle and challenge motivates her and she becomes much happier than she ever was before as she sees how all of her hard work has paid off and that she really has made a difference.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a film about an average man’s journey and experience in Congress as Senator of Mississippi.
When the name John Smith is mentioned, people of all ages are familiar with it and could tell a lot about him. Why is this? How is it that a man who lived over 400 years ago still so popular today, more specifically to our children? The answer to that question is because John Smith can be viewed as one of America’s earliest heroes. His leadership was vital to the survival of the Jamestown colony. Most people are familiar with his famous quote, “he that will not work shall not eat.” He carried all the qualities of an influential leader, and even had a mystical legend with Pocahontas, in which no one truly knows what happened. His leadership characteristics and qualities possessed hard work, grit, and determination. He was an individualist that had an “American” dream. However, during his time, the colonists did not look at it as an “American” dream. Without him and his leadership, America may not be what it is today.
“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” Mr. Smith was too naive to survive as a senator during the time the movie “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” took place. Mr. Smith’s naiveté was most evident in his ambitious proposal to start a national boys camp. However, when false allegations regarding Mr. Smith’s motives for starting the camp surfaced, Smith was too idealistic to defend himself from the political machine that accused him of acting in self-interest. Making matters worse, Senator Smith was a genuinely honest and simple-minded man, making it difficult for him to survive among his scheming colleagues.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington follows Jefferson Smith (James Stewart) and his adventure with American politics. The film begins when a governor needs to replace a senator. The governor decides to appoint Smith because he appears to be a wholesome family man, while also being naïve—which makes him easy to manipulate. When Smith arrives in Washington, Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains) becomes a mentor to Smith. Smith falls in love with Paine’s daughter, Susan (Astrid Allwyn). Smith sticks out in Washington,
The structure of our government is complex. With local, state, and federal levels of government, it can be confusing to understand how the government works. Luckily, Morris Fiorina wrote a document about the structure of the government called The Rise of the Washington Establishment. The Washington establishment simply refers to big government workers such as, included but not limited to, house representatives, senators, congressmen, and party leaders. These legislators and bureaucrats are the ones who run the government and establish laws. In his document, Fiorina argued that these people are in office only for personal gains. He strongly focused on congress, in which he believes they act in favor of their reelection. Power, money, and insurance benefits are the main influences that motivate congressmen to hold their position. Governmental representatives are supposed to reflect the values of the people, but they ultimately act in a selfish manor. The Rise of the Washington Establishment analyzes how congressmen act for their own self-interest.
Corruption in the United States government takes the power away from the people and puts it into the hands of elite groups and politicians. This corruption is prevalent in the film “Mr. Smith goes to Washington”. The film has a strong message about corruption in the government, and places an innocent and naïve character, Mr. Smith in the middle of the corruption. In Washington, Mr. Smith discovers the corruption that has overtaken the capitol, but does not let it falter his integrity. Although Mr. Smith is surrounded by corruption, he is able to fight the system and bring some integrity back to Washington.
department in his cabinet was the department of state. The Department of State was made to work on foreign policy issues and to negotiate treaties and agreements. The Department of War was another one set up by Washington. It was changed to the Department of Defense in 1947 because the Department of War made it seem like we always wanted a fight. The Department of War was made to have control of all things military. They kept the troops in check and told the president how the troops were acting. The final one Washington made was the Department of the Treasury. The Department of Treasury tells the president the financial state of the United States, commands the Secret Service, and authorizes the printing of the United States Postal Service stamps
When protagonist Jefferson Smith very suddenly becomes a US Senator, he is portrayed as the perfect example of nominal patriotism. He has several speeches by Washington and Lincoln memorized, is the leader of a group of what are basically Boy Scouts, and spends his first day in Washington DC in awe of the monuments.
Jefferson Smith is trying to win the fight against the corrupted politicans around him in order to achieve his idealistic opinions and plans.
I was born on Sept. 24, 1755 in Germantown, Virginia. My parents, Thomas Marshall and Mary Randolph Keith, had 15 children of which I was the oldest. While growing up, my parents homeschooled my 14 siblings and me, and later I was sent to one year of boarding school at the Campbell Academy, where I was classmates with James Monroe. While growing up in a politically connected family, my parents brought great influence into the household, knowledge and character wise. My father was a sheriff and a land surveyor, and my mother was the daughter of a clergyman and her bloodline could be drawn back to the Lees and Randolphs. As I was growing up, my main influence was George Washington, who was a friend of my father. Because of him, at the age of
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is an American political drama/ comedy film directed by Frank Capra in 1939. The movie is about a young U.S. senator who fights for his innocence in America’s corrupt political system. The main character is Jefferson Smith, the newly appointed senator. Smith is the head of the boy rangers in town and is appointed by Jim Taylor, the political boss of the state governor Hubert Hopper. Senator Smith is looked after by Senior senator Joseph Paine, an old friend of Smith’s father. Senator Paine tells Smith to propose a bill, and lends his secretary Clarissa Saunders to aid him. The bill Smith proposes is to ask the Federal Government for a loan to buy acres of land in his home state for a national boy’s camp. The loan
Jefferson Smith: The Unlikely yet Perfect Senator Imagine this: your governor wants someone to become your state’s Senator and its between them and his corrupt political boss’s selection. He decides to flip a coin to choose, which happens to land on its side.
A good depiction of the interaction between the president and interest groups was seen in The American President. In this movie a special interest group, the GDC, sent a lobbyist, Sydney, to get a bill introduced into the senate. The process they went through, convincing the president to introduce the bill if they got enough support from congressmen and then seeing them gain support from the congressmen, was very informative. This movie also helped set a complete picture of the way the president works in the political system.