“1. The filibuster is not in the Constitution.
2. The first US Senate ever did NOT have a filibuster rule — in fact, they had the opposite, a “move the previous motion” rule that required a vote.
3. The possibility of a filibuster didn’t exist until a Senate rule change in 1806 that made the filibuster a possibility. The reason for the rule change was NOT to create the filibuster, but because some considered the “move the motion” requirement to be redundant IN THAT going to a vote was considered logical, natural, obvious.
4. The first abuse of debate with a threatened filibuster didn’t take place until just before 1840.
5. The stories we read that say the filibuster has a 225 year history are simply in error.”
Thank you. We needed that.
You’re welcome. The original plan was for the Senate to do its job and not just sit around jawing.
The original plan also called for senators to be chosen by state legislatures to represent their state, so the authors of the Constitution apparently thought that getting the job done was more important than political posturing.