Last updated: April 30, 2025
Place
Senate Chambers in Congress Hall
NPS photo
Quick Facts
Location:
Congress Hall
.A smaller room than the House floor downstairs in Conrgess Hall, Senators enjoyed elaborate furnishings as a reflection of their status. Senators, then appointed by their states rather than elected, serve six year terms and have additional duties such as judicial and cabinet confirmations. By 1800, the Senate had 32 members, two for each of the 16 states.While the Senate met in this room, either John Adams or Thomas Jefferson sat at the front.
In the years before the 12th Amendment, whoever came in second in the presidential election became the Vice President, and unlike today, the Vice President’s main role was to be the president of the Senate. While it may sound like an interesting and important job, John Adams voiced very different feelings during his terms as VP, remarking that it was “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.”
Today, the Vice President continues to break ties in the Senate and serves as the Senate’s president, but mostly fulfills a broader cabinet role in support of the executive branch.
In the years before the 12th Amendment, whoever came in second in the presidential election became the Vice President, and unlike today, the Vice President’s main role was to be the president of the Senate. While it may sound like an interesting and important job, John Adams voiced very different feelings during his terms as VP, remarking that it was “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.”
Today, the Vice President continues to break ties in the Senate and serves as the Senate’s president, but mostly fulfills a broader cabinet role in support of the executive branch.