[rollo tomasi]

Apologies... 17th was designed for ended the representation of the States and the firewall in the face of populism. Type to fast.

[x]

It's true about the "firewall against populism." The founders expected that state legislators would elect more experienced and judicious men to the Senate than voters would send to the House.

And the equal representation of the states would guarantee a voice for the small states in the government - a voice that wouldn't be heard otherwise.

The idea, though, that the senators were expected to be agents of the state legislators isn't quite so well-founded.

The opponents of the constitution pointed out that the state legislatures' right to choose senators didn't amount to so much if state governments weren't allowed to recall senators who didn't do their bidding.

Obviously, senators would have to be accountable to the state legislators, but from the beginning, they had more freedom of action than we might think now.