Welsh+Period+4+Amendment+17

**By Aviv, Young, and Casey Senators are elected by the popular vote of the people. This amendment was created to prevent governors from bribery and corruption. This amendment is still used the same way it was used back then. Also this amendment was created to give people the rights to choose their own senator instead legislature choosing them. This amendment was very important because this amendment almost reformed the country's government. Even before this amendment was created, people started a primary election, the citizens of the state would have their own election and pick the senator they wanted and the legislatures would pick the senators that the people chose.
 * __The Seventeenth Amendment__
 * Essential Question:** How did the issues which promoted the creation of your amendment compare with the issues they are applied to today?

Questions and Answers:

1.When was the amendment created? The Seventeenth Amendment was passed by congress on May 13, 1912 and was ratified on April 8, 1913. 2.What caused this amendment to be created? At first, only James Wilson of Pennsylvania wanted an election by the people. The people that made the Constitution did not want the people to choose bad people for the job of a Senator. People in the South didn't want an election for Senator because they did not want African American votes to be a part of the election.

3.What are some issues we have today that deal with this amendment? An issue that we have today with the Seventeenth amendment is that when a president is elected there is no election for the next senator to take the place, the governer chooses the next senator because there is no time for another senator election. 4.What are some issues that the people and the government had when the amendment was first created? When the Seventeenth Amendment was first created, many people disliked this amendment. This amendment made legislature to have less power picking who they want. Also this amnedment led people to uswe bribes to get seats for senates. Sometimes they tried to sell them then buying. These things made the government to corrupt and become dirty.

5.How does this amendment affect the citizens? This amendment affects the citizens by allowing them to vote in an election on who would represent thier state as Senators. 6.How were Senators chosen before the amendment was created? Before the Seventeenth Amendment Senators were choosen by the governers of that state, people would bribe the governers to become Senators. After 197 failed proposals for and election to choose Senators, the people started what is called a "Primary Election." The people would vote on who they wanted to be their Senators and then the governers would choose the winners of the Primary Election. 7.Is the President involved in the election? The president is not involved in the election today or back then. Back then, the Legislatures were involved to pick the Senate, but now people have rights to vote for whoever they want to choose as the Senators.

8.Was this amendment improved or edited since it was created? The amendment was not actually changed or improved, but there was an amendment or a law very similar to this amendment. That law stated, "The legislatures choose the Senates, each state had two senates, and they both had only one vote." But after the Seventeenth Amendment was created, the amendment stated, "The people have the power of choosing Senates, each state has two senates and they only vote once each."

9.How did this amendment affect the rest of the government when it was first created? This amendment affected the government so much that it almost made the government have to reform. Many people didn't like this amendement and it was very close to being repealed. This amendment gave lots of trouble until around the early 1900s. State Legislatures did not mind letting the people elect the Senators.

10.How does this amendment affect the rest of the government today? This amendment affects the rest of the government because it gives the government less power over who will be the Senators. This amendment affected the rest of the government when it was first created and today the same way.(i didnt know what else to put) 11.How many times can a Senator serve in the government? A Senator can be elected as many times until he loses the election or retires.

12.How long is each term? The length of each term for Senates are 6 years. Current Event 1. By Casey Link: [|http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/us/politics/16caroline.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1] [|Summary]: Caroline Kennedy is looking to fill the U.s. Senate seat in New York that Hillary Clinton currently holds. Caroline has approached Governor Paterson and has expressed her interest in filling the soon vacant seat. Governor Paterson has expressed a likeness for her. The Governor is the only one permitted to fill the seat should it become vacant in this case with Hillary Clinton. Caroline will need to prove herself and to assure Governor Paterson that she is qualified for the job and not just because her family is so politically active in the past and present. She will need to prove to Governor Paterson and the people of New York that she can handle the demanding position. The state law would require Kennedy to run and win in 2010 to 2012 which would cover the last 2 years of Clinton's term and then win again in 2012 on her own.

2. By Young Link:http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=5825 Summary: Zell Miller, the former Senator retiring said something that brought big attention to USA government. He had said something really big. Zell Miller wanted to repeal the amendment 17. He had said that he wants to recover what the founding fathers, framers, had made the law before. "the legislature picks the senates and they have one vote." He wanted to restore what framers had made before. The reason for him to do this was that he thought that the republic, one of the party of this government, is getting weaker and the democrat is getting bigger and stronger. So he thinks that the amendment 17 should be repealed.

3. By Aviv Link:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/us/politics/10illinois.html?_r=1 Summary: The governor of Illinois Rod R. Blagojevich tryed to sell the senate seat that was left because Obama became president. Blagojevich is now been voted on about wether he will be impeached or not. The House of Representatives voted 114 to 1 to impeach blagojevich. For the governor of Illinois to be impeached 2/3 of the senate have to choose for him to be impeached. this is probebly not going to happen because most people in government think that there isn't enough evidence for Blagojevich to be proven guilty.