The Superhero Historians are very fond of something we like to call “history with context.” In other words, we think it is critical to understand everything happening around the time of an event in order to understand the event.  To put it even simpler, you can’t view 1858 through the prism of 2006.  Prism of 2006.  With that in mind, let’s talk a little bit about the 17th Amendment.

First let’s get the bare bone facts out of the way.  The 17th Amendment was ratified on April 8, 1913.  Okay, I know what you are thinking, “Hey Phineas, that is a long way away from 1858.  How can you view 1858 through the 1913 prism thingy?” Bear with me and I will connect the dots for you.  Now the 17th Amendment was put through during the Progressive Era of United States politics.  Progressives were against inefficiency and they moved to put more power into the hands of the people.  Hands of the people.  The 17th Amendment put the election of U.S. Senators directly in the hands of the people.  So when you turn 18 and vote, and promise me that you will vote, you will cast a vote directly for a senator.  Before this Amendment, state legislatures would vote for or appoint U.S. Senators.  Flash back to 1858 and the Lincoln – Douglas debates.  Both politicians were actually debating to influence voters to elect state representatives that would then support them for the U.S. Senate.  For the U.S. Senate.  That is just something to keep in mind while reading about the debates.  Even though thousands of people showed up to listen, they never got to vote directly for either Lincoln or Douglas!

Just so you know, one of the main reasons for the 17th Amendment was that around the time of the Civil War, states were so divided that sometimes nobody was elected to the Senate.  The 17th Amendment is very interesting and you should look into it more, if you like.  There are even people today who want to repeal this Amendment.  They argue that it upsets the balance of power between the Federal Government and the states.  And the states.