Once the 17th Amendment fell upon the United States, the fuse was lit for an explosive government.
That is a good point, but I would also point out that by the time the 17th amendment was passed, the worst damage had already been done.
The Civil war was the most massive expansion of Federal Power in our History. The Federal government became this dominating leviathan that no longer recognized any check on it's will. Before the 17th amendment was passed, the Federals basically ordered the State Governments of the occupied Southern States to pass the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, or face continued Occupation.
That such a thing was done under duress could hardly make them legitimate acts of free will, but this was a time when the normal understanding of "Federalism" was displaced by whatever was the desire of the ruling parties. This period set the stage for subsequent abuses of power by Executives such as Woodrow Wilson (3,000 political prisoners) and Franklin D. Roosevelt. (New Deal, Entitlements, etc.)
Hamilton did warn us of another problem in Washington’s Farewell Address when he wrote about improper changes of law. He saw that possibility, but not the change in the Senate.
One of the things I find amusing about this is the fact that Hamilton and his co-writers of the Federalist papers pooh poohed the idea that under Federal control the militias of one states would be used to invade and oppress the others. They said such a thing would never happen under the new Constitution. It had plenty of safeguards to prevent such a thing.
The Civil war would really have come as a shock to them.
Now you can feel better about Hamilton.
I don't dislike the man, he was undoubtedly necessary for getting the Constitution approved, I just wish he had paid more heed to the opposition arguments which turned out to be prophetic.
No way.