100th Anniversary of the Seventeenth Amendment

Amendment XVII in the National Archives

Prior to the passage of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, US Senators were selected by state legislatures, not by popular vote. Direct elections to the Senate were held only after April 8, 1913 when the amendment had been ratified by three-fourths of the states. Some states never actually ever ratified the amendment, with one (Utah) expressly rejecting it. A few states only ratified it in the 21st century, notably, Alabama, Delaware, and Maryland. Ironically, although Maryland was the last state to ratify it on April 1, 2012, it was actually the state in which the first direct elections to the Senate were held! Direct elections enabled more democratic outcomes of Senate elections, where before, rural votes often carried more weight than urban votes, sometimes in excess of 200 to 1. Needless to say, this amendment has not been popular with all constituents (particularly business and rural interests), but it was intended to, rightfully, prevent the Senate from becoming an American 'House of Lords.'

Today is the 225th Anniversary of the US Constitution

U.S. Constitution

September 17, 1787 was the date the U.S. Constitution was adopted; it was later ratified and went into effect on
March 4, 1789. To read and understand this powerful and enduring document is a worthy goal of every citizen; and Cornell University Law School has made this easier by hosting on their website an annotated version prepared by the Congressional Research Service. In 2004, Congress renamed Citizenship Day to "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day" and in the process created a new holiday and preserved an old one. Test your knowledge of the history and creation of the Constitution by taking this fun quiz. Also, take a look at HowStuffWorks' webpage on 10 Things You Didn't Know About the U.S. Constitution.