What is the importance of the 17th Amendment?

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The 17th amendment is important because it actually broke the United States Government and broke the balance of power between the federal government and the state governments by requiring the direct election of Senators.



Herein, what is the 17th Amendment in simple terms?

What the 17th Amendment Means. Essentially, the 17th Amendment gives voters the power to directly elect their senators. It also states that the U.S. Senate includes two senators from each state, and that each senator has one vote in the Senate. Senators are elected for six-year terms.

Additionally, how did the 17th Amendment stop corruption? In the same way that many legislatures have eagerly handed over redistricting powers to nonpartisan commissions, they sought to outsource the selection of senators. The 17th Amendment was embraced by legislators and the public as a way to both reduce corruption and take a divisive issue off legislators' agendas.

Secondly, how is the 17th Amendment used today?

The 17th Amendment serves as a check on partisan chicanery by removing any chance of gerrymandering influencing the election (state legislative districts may be—and regularly are—drawn with partisan motives, which would carry over if legislators still appointed senators), and by ensuring that state legislatures can't

How does the 17th Amendment protect citizen rights?

This amendment protects a citizen's rights by allowing them to elect their own senators as opposed to the legislature electing them, as was the original law.

33 Related Question Answers Found

Who benefited from the 17th Amendment?

The Seventeenth Amendment (Amendment XVII) to the United States Constitution established the popular election of United States senators by the people of the states. The amendment supersedes Article I, §3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were elected by state legislatures.

Who pushed for the 17th Amendment?

The rise of the People's Party, commonly referred to as the Populist Party, added motivation for making the Senate more directly accountable to the people. During the 1890s, the House of Representatives passed several resolutions proposing a constitutional amendment for the direct election of senators.

What did the 17th Amendment?

Passed by Congress May 13, 1912, and ratified April 8, 1913, the 17th amendment modified Article I, section 3, of the Constitution by allowing voters to cast direct votes for U.S. Senators. Prior to its passage, Senators were chosen by state legislatures.

What does the 14 Amendment say?

No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

What was the impact of the Seventeenth Amendment What was it intended to solve?


The 17th was a direct election by popular vote. It was intended to end corruption; it also removed one of the state legislatures' checks on federal power.

Who proposed the 18th Amendment?

Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Cullen-Harrison Act, which amended the Volstead Act, permitting the manufacturing and sale of low-alcohol beer and wines (up to 3.2 percent alcohol by volume).

What is Amendment 18 simplified?

noun. an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1918, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcoholic beverages for consumption: repealed in 1933.

What does the 15th Amendment say?

The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted African American men the right to vote by declaring that the "right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Although ratified on

What made Congress illegal in Amendment 18?

The movement reached its apex in 1919 when Congress ratified the 18th Amendment, prohibiting the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors. In 1933, widespread public disillusionment led Congress to ratify the 21st Amendment, which repealed Prohibition.

When was 18th amendment passed?


The Eighteenth Amendment (Amendment XVIII) of the United States Constitution established the prohibition of "intoxicating liquors" in the United States. The amendment was proposed by Congress on December 18, 1917, and was ratified by the requisite number of states on January 16, 1919.

Why was the 19th Amendment passed?

Nineteenth Amendment summary: The Nineteenth (19th) Amendment to the United States Constitution granted women the right to vote, prohibiting any United States citizen to be denied the right to vote based on sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920 after a long struggle known as the women's suffrage movement.

What exactly does the amendment abolish what was the result?

18th Amendment. The 18th amendment is the only amendment to be repealed from the constitution. This unpopular amendment banned the sale and drinking of alcohol in the United States. This amendment took effect in 1919 and was a huge failure.

How does the electoral college limit the people's ability to influence the national government?

“The Electoral College limited the people's ability to influence the national government because the state's votes are all or nothing for either the Democrat or Republican party which makes it impossible for the third parties to win presidential elections” is incorrect.

How senators are chosen?


The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.

What was it like before the 17th Amendment?

Prior to 1913, when the 17th Amendment was ratified, state legislatures elected two U.S. senators to represent them in Congress. But if different candidates were preferred for that one U.S. Senate seat, the legislatures met in a combined session until they could agree on a selection.

How does the 17th Amendment affect federalism?

By altering how the Senate was elected, the Seventeenth Amendment also altered the principal mechanism employed by the framers to protect federalism. The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote.