Maiden Speeches and Apprenticeship: Continuity and Change in the U.S. Senate

• In Event: Congress and Norms: Fresh Perspectives in an Age of Conflict

Brief Overview

This paper offers a full-length examination of the U.S. Senate’s maiden speech tradition, combining a historical and interview-based account of the “rite of passage” with a novel, quantitative measure of its adherence in the 80th-116th Congresses.

Author

• Christopher (Luke) Basham, George Washington University