Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Plot Line for Dummies

1. Mr. Smith Goes to WashingtonPlot Line for Dummies Allison McConnell

2. Introduction • Senator Fuller died, causing a new senator in need of appointment • Governor Happy had to appoint a new senator and was pressured by his kids to appoint Jefferson Smith • Jim Taylor was a conceiving salesman who was using graft to create a dam that gave him profit • His political machine was with Senator Payne; they found Jeff to be a naive young man who they could use and lie to • Jefferson Smith created the Boy Rangers, an organization that gets the boys off the streets and has a newspaper • Jeff was appointed senator and went to Washington where he was dumbstruck and in awe of the patriotism that he went to all national monuments for 5 hours • There we meet his secretary Saunders who although is a hard headed, smart mouth, she still has admiration to her new colleague

3. Rising Action • Jim Taylor is working with Senator Payne to buy land around the water way of Willet Creek, where they are putting the dam so that he will illegally be able to buy the land from himself without having to pay a dime in order to get the law that Payne wants passed, passed • When the Jeff goes to his first job at the senate he finds that people don’t respect his position or their country and is very upset • Saunders tells photographers and journalists to come to Jeff’s office and get some pictures to make fun of her, at the time idiotic colleague • The journalists take embarrassing photos of Jeff that he eventually is angered to the full and beats them all up • In anger he goes to the Lincoln Memorial where he sees a boy reciting the words of Lincoln with his elderly grandfather • He gets an idea and then proposes a new bill to have a boys’ camp to get the kids off the streets

4. Rising Action • When he writes his bill and says where they will be putting the camp Saunders is in fear, it is the spot where the dam is going • In the terror of the moment when Payne figures out this plan he and Jim Taylor know that this has to be stopped • In order to keep Jeff quiet when he refused to go along with their plan they decide to flip the tables and accuse him of the graft • The political machine gets to work where they pay everyone near the area to say that they gave Jeff the land instead of Taylor • When this accusation occurs Jeff says nothing and leaves causing the boy rangers to lose hope and throw out their buttons • With no hope Jeff gets ready to go back to his state with one last look at the Lincoln Memorial, this is where Saunders tells him to stay and she gets hope and admiration toward him • He then writes a speech and is prepared to give it without being interrupted

5. Climax • Jefferson Smith starts a 24 hour Filibuster about how he was being framed for graft and how he wouldn’t take it, he also went to tell them about how his bill was beneficial to the boys of his state

6. Falling Action • Jeff soon is being coached by Saunders in the audience to fight for his right • He doesn’t yield and goes on for 24 hours • He speaks of how unjust the senate was being and how he used to think of them patriotic people, but now they were just money crazed buffoons • The new reporters are trying to report to their state of how he needs them to agree with him but the political machine of Taylor stops it • This leads to the boys’ newspaper producing it from the words of Saunders • Taylor then starts to have his people hurt the boys to make them stop • With this news Jeff needed to see the adults from his state agree • Payne then brings in fake telegrams from people telling Jeff to stop, but Jeff disagrees • Due to the pressure in the room and his sleep deprivation, Jeff faints

7. Conclusion • Senator Payne goes out of the room and tries to kill himself from self pity and rage, but he fails to succeed • He then comes back in and admits to the crime