Mr. Smith Goes to Washington- Video worksheet
Use this sheet (and the backside) to take notes during the movie. The notes you write down will
be turned in along with a 1 page essay after you have watched the movie.
Vocabulary
Political MachineStereotype‘All-American personality’FilibusterLegislative processInfluenceCongressional committees-
Characters- identify their characteristics, stereotypes and would they be the same today?
1. Jefferson Smith- ____________________________________________________________
2. Senator Joe Paine- __________________________________________________________
3. Clarissa Saunders- __________________________________________________________
4. Jim Taylor- ________________________________________________________________
5. Governor (Happy) Hopper-___________________________________________________
6. Diz Moore-_________________________________________________________________
7. ___________________________________________________________________________
8. Washington Media (radio and newspapers)______________________________________
9. Willet Creek Dam Project-___________________________________________________
10. National Boys Camp-_______________________________________________________
Examples of the legislative process (rules of procedures)/Congressional
committees/members of Congress daily activities.
1. Appointing a new Senator-____________________________________________________
2. Procedures in the Senate-_____________________________________________________
3. Presenting and Passing a bill- _______________________________________
4. Senate Ethics______________________________________________________
5.__________________________________________________________________
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington- Essay
Due-_____________
After watching the movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, you are to answer the
following questions. Each question must be answered in a paragraph with at least
3-5 complete sentences. Your answers should be typed, however you may write
them out in ink only. If you type your essay you should use 1.5 line spacing and a
font of 12. Your answer will not be more than one typed page. As you answer the
question, you must be specific with your examples. Using vague, unclear, answers
will cause points to be deducted from your score. 25 points
1. What is a political machine? How does a political machine
work? What were some actions the machine took to expose
Senator Smith as a fraud? Who is the leader of the machine in
the movie and who is the politician of the machine? (10 points)
2. Even during debate and filibuster, the Senators had to follow
specific procedures and rules. What is the government so
formal? Why do they strictly enforce all the rules of
procedures? What are some of the specific rules of procedure
that Jefferson Smith and the other Senators had to follow either
during the debate or at other times during the video? (10 points)
3. Using the video, relate the theme of the video to modern day
politics. How realistic do you think the video was in portraying
the legislative process, the relationships between member of
government and the influence of money and private citizens on
government? You may talk about stereotypes and other
examples of propaganda put into the movie about some of the
characters. (5 points)