Indeed, until the late 1830s the filibuster remained a solely theoretical option, never actually exercised. The first Senate filibuster occurred in 1837 when a group of Whig senators filibustered to prevent allies of the Democratic President Andrew Jackson from expunging a resolution of censure against him.

What was the longest filibuster in history?

It began at 8:54 p.m. and lasted until 9:12 p.m. the following day, for a total length of 24 hours and 18 minutes. This made the filibuster the longest single-person filibuster in U.S. Senate history, a record that still stands today.

Was the filibuster in the Constitution?

The filibuster is a powerful legislative device in the United States Senate. ... It is not part of the US Constitution, becoming theoretically possible with a change of Senate rules only in 1806 and not used until 1837.