The seventeenth amendment to the us constitution calls for the direct election of all us senators. this means that the people of each state get to vote to decide who will be their two us senators. before this, the legislatures of each state chose the two us senators from that state with no direct involvement of the average voter.

why would this amendment be considered a reform? how would it benefit the people?
even today some people claim that the seventeenth amendment was a bad idea. what arguments could be made for reverting selection of us senators back to the state legislatures?

Americans did not vote directly for senators for the first 125 years of the federal government. The Constitution, which was adopted in 1788, declared that senators would be elected by state legislatures. The first proposal to amend the constitution and elect the senators by popular vote was presented in the House of Representatives in 1826, but the idea did not get enough support until the 19th century, when several problems related to the Senate elections became evident. . Several state legislatures were paralyzed by the elections of the senators, which caused that the seats of the Senate remained vacant for months and even years. In other cases, political machines gained control over state legislatures, and senators elected with their support were seen as puppets. In addition, the Senate was perceived as the "millionaire's club" that served private interests. The rise of the Popular Party, referred to as the Populist Party, motivated the creation of a Senate more responsible to the public.

During the 1890s, the House of Representatives passed several resolutions proposing a constitutional amendment for the direct election of senators. However, each time the Senate refused to vote. When it seemed unlikely that both Houses of Congress would pass legislation proposing the amendment for direct elections, many states changed their strategies. Article V of the Constitution of the United States establishes that Congress has to convene a constitutional convention to propose amendments when two thirds of state legislatures request one. Although the method had never been used before, several states began sending Congress requests for conventions. As the number of solicitations approached the two-thirds bar, Congress finally decided to act.

In 1911, the House of Representatives approved the Joint Resolution of Assembly 39 (House Joint Resolution 39), proposing a constitutional amendment for the direct election of the senators. However, it included a race provision (Race Rider) created to block federal intervention in cases of racial discrimination among voters. A substitute amendment created by Senator Joseph L. Bristow (R-KS) eliminated that race provision. The amendment, Joint Resolution, was adopted by the Senate, in a close vote on May 1911. More than a year later, the House accepted this change, and the amendment was sent to the states for ratification. On April 8, 1913, three-quarters of the states had ratified the proposed amendment, and it was officially included as the 17th amendment.

It would take the power away from entrenched political operatives. It would give the people more control over who represents them in the US Senate.

The State legislatures might make a more informed decision about who is qualified to be a US Senator.

The original Constitution didn’t call for direct election of US Senators.

> la jirafa: the giraffe

> el loro: the parrot

> la tortuga: the turtle

> el cerdo: the pig

> la vaca: the cow

> la araña: the spider

> el tiburón: the shark

> la langosta: the lobster

hope that !