Institution

United States Senate

1789 · 18th century · Also known as U.S. Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the United States Congress, established by the constitution of 1787 and first convened in 1789, with two senators from each state. Its approval by a two-thirds majority is required to ratify treaties, giving it a decisive voice over agreements such as the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty and the Torrijos–Carter Treaties. In 1902 it voted for the Panama route over Nicaragua for an interoceanic canal.

United States Senate
Image: Louis Dreka designed the actual seal, first used in 1885 per here. Vectorized from a version in stained glass. Origin... · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

Republic of NicaraguaImpactRepublic of PanamaDecline

Mentioned in 1 state history

Second Dominican Republic

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). United States Senate. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/united-states-senate
MLA
“United States Senate.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/united-states-senate. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “United States Senate.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/united-states-senate.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘United States Senate’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/united-states-senate (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻