Frank Capra's movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington did an excellent job of describing the politician's secrets and underlying motives that truly relate to real life politics. It serves the troubling honesty that our civilization has been developed to operate in diplomacies. It honestly describes an amicable concept about the Senate while also shining light on the less pleasant aspects of politics. The film at the time of its release and to current day has an effect on its audience, and would've been thought to go against the grain at the time of its release; however, it is not rebellious, the film is motivated by an influential disgust towards an ill-treatment of authority in government. The movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington modestly has a truly …show more content…
Mr. Smith had been so oblivious to the conniving agenda that his fellow senators had and how they were simply interested in their personal profit, which is where the Willow Creek Dam came into play. Because of Sam Foley's death and the vacancy in the Senate, Jefferson Smith's sole purpose of being appointed as a senator was to be a puppet of Jim Taylor and Paine, represent the general population of his state because he was well liked, and not make inquiries about things he didn't know. Smith was so naïve that he didn't even know about Taylors political machine when he was beginning to introduce his Boy's Camp, and he particularly didn't know about it being on the same land that Taylor's team would create the Willet Creek. By the time that his reputation started to smear and he began being painted as a criminal to rob children, he could not understand why. Taylor’s press and Paine did a good job at making him appear with a vindictive character and blaming him. The men even said, “He owns the land, purchased it, and is using his position in office for his own
Smith goes to Washington” is an accurate depiction of our government today. In the film, lobbyist control the senators and decide how the legislators in their control will vote. Lobbyists do all in their power to stop any senator that attempts to resist their agenda. Mr. Smith ignores the threats that are made by lobbyists, and continues to do what is right. This leads to many false accusations against Mr. Smith, and another senator attempts to get Mr. Smith out of office with more lies. Not only do lobbyists directly attack Mr. Smith, they also attack any press that portrays him favorably. Many similar scenarios occur in the U.S. government today, and lobbyists have more power than legislators do. The government is full of corrupt legislators, and more honest people like Mr. Smith should be elected to fix the
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.
2. In today’s world there would be some mixed reactions to a senator like Jefferson Smith. Some people would disapprove of him because he is not the characteristic senator and has no political experience. They would think that he was young, and inexperienced, and that he did not deserve to be in such a highly respected position. Other people would love that he was standing up for what he knew was right, and that he was doing what needed to be done against those people who take advantage of our
The film, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” presents the Senate in a little different fashion than that of the Senate today in real life. The first obvious difference is that the Senate in the movie is still elected by the state legislature, basically the Governor, meaning that the setting of the film would have to be sometime before 1911 and the passage of the 17th amendment Senate] The difference is that today Senators are directly elected by the popular vote of the people.
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,
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
Everybody is talkin' these days about Tammany men growin' rich on graft, but nobody thinks of drawin' the distinction between honest graft and dishonest graft." With this sentence in the first chapter Plunkitt sets the tone for his short treatise on New York City politics while Tammany Hall ran the show. George Washington Plunkitt was a senator in New York during the turn of the 19th Century to the 20th Century. He was very successful in politics, and at one time he held four offices at once and collected salaries from three of them. G. W. Plunkitt held any one (or more offices) in Tammany Hall for over forty years. He was a shady politician who took care of his constituents and his
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.
“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.
Taylor, a special interest group member, controlled everything Senator Paine did until he finally decided to change. This denotes the impact that wealth can have in the government. The system is designed so that things such as pork barreling can pass and sometimes need to pass in order for a law to go through. This creates a system of lies and corruption, with members of the Senate not looking out for the national good. Senators are forced to focus on improving their own district because it is all they can do to ensure re-election. The most successful Senators do this because it gains short-term approval from their district and gets them a future vote. This is a method of maintaining their career, and is something they are in some cases forced to do. If someone like Mr. Smith came in and was consistently free of corruption, people would vote for him based on his truthfulness.
When George Washington was elected President in 1789 by members of the fledgling United States of America, he was setting into motion a tradition that has stood the test of over 225 years - the presidential election. Even as the United States has seen dozens of wars, made hundreds of scientific advances, and selected thousands of politicians to seats everywhere from small town councils to Congress, the principles of the election have remained the same; the people band together to determine who will best protect their interests at home and assure that the US will always remain on top in foreign policy. Oftentimes, this is found to be a difficult decision, as public opinion is constantly wavering. One sees this in action particularly during the 1992 election - a battle of wills between Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Ross Perot; complete with lead changes, major vote swings, and Perot’s unprecedented initial success - ultimately a false alarm to the bipartisan establishment.
Many people often think about who was the one president who really did our country justice. Who was the one president who, out of all forty-two, beats everyone and takes the gold for best president in the history of American presidents? Not everyone who agrees with these thoughts is going to agree with the answer each other gives. However, I bet many of those same people would argue that George Washington was the best president out of all of them.
Mr . Smith Goes to Washington shows all these factors of this theme. The politicians in the senate today and the politicians in the movie all have their own agenda. They are all trying to do something for themselves or they are doing something for someone who is paying more. Governor Hopper goes to it's a hard spot between the right thing and the
The revered and respected first president, George Washington, gave the US hope during one of its most difficult times. Using the events and circumstances of his life to learn and advance his position, he grew from humble beginnings into a legend. George Washington had a valuable, well-rounded education from ages seven to fifteen, studying all the subjects (Nevins and Graff). Due to his father’s death, George grew up under the supervision of his half-brother Lawrence at Mount Vernon, learning many lessons and developing thoughts, actions, and manners he used later in life (Nevins and Graff). He worked as a surveyor for his first career and learned the benefits of hard work, endurance, and resourcefulness (Nevins and Graff). After Lawrence died, George took over running the family plantation and found farming an honorable, delectable, amusing, and profitable occupation (Nevins and Graff). Standing six feet tall with broad shoulders, Washington cultivated a lavish lifestyle of dancing, cards, billiards, and hunting as a prominent and active member in his community and church (Nevins and Graff). George Washington started his military career in November of 1752, and in 1755 he took the position as commander of all the Virginian troops at the young age of 23 years (Nevins and Graff). Washington desired more honor and respect than he received, so he resigned from the military in the fall of 1758 full of frustration (Nevins and Graff). War moved slowly, troops did not receive enough
George Washington was born February 22, 1732. He was elected as the first president by the Electoral College unanimously in 1789. Washington is commonly called the "Father of his country" since he played a major role in fighting for independence and helped form the government we now have. Many of his leadership practices became the template for the way politics have proceeded following his terms. For example his use of a group of counselors known as a "cabinet" is still in practice today. He only served for two terms and then stepped down which became, for the most part, the accepted norm for future presidents. George Washington is associated with some folklore tales such as being widely known for admitting to his father that he chopped