Senate
Repeal the 17th Amendment: Ignored Anti-Federalist Warnings on the Senate
Repealing the 17th Amendment is the right move to help restore federalism – but is it enough? The Anti-Federalists warned us about dangers in the Senateโs structure long before the 17th came along, and without understanding those warnings, we could still end up...
17th Amendment Myth Busted: There was no Recall Power
A lot of people believe that before the 17th amendment, state legislatures had the power to recall and replace senators in congress. But thatโs nothing more than a myth. Records from the ratification debates show that this power never existed under the Constitution....
17th Amendment: Did it Destroy the Structure of the Constitution?
When the framers designed the Senate, they envisioned it as a safeguard for the states, with a key component being state legislatures choosing two senators instead of the people at large. But in 1913, the 17th Amendment removed this critical part of the system. In...
The Imperial Senate: Anti-Federalist Warnings
A permanent or baneful aristocracy – despite federalist assurances to the contrary – with senators mostly serving for life – that’s what many anti-federalists warned we’d get with the structure of the federal Senate. Path to Liberty:...