how were senators originally chosen? which amendment changed that?

U.S. senators were originally chosen by state legislatures, and this was changed to direct popular election by the Seventeenth Amendment.

Original selection method

• Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution provided that each state’s two senators would be “chosen by the Legislature thereof” for six‑year terms.

• In practice, this meant the two houses of each state legislature would vote to select senators, sometimes in joint session and sometimes via coordinated but separate votes.

Which amendment changed it?

• The Seventeenth Amendment, ratified in 1913, replaced legislative selection with direct election of senators by the people of each state.

• This amendment “superseded” the original Article I system and made the Senate’s selection method match that of the House, where members had always been chosen by popular vote.

Why the change happened

• By the late 1800s, the legislative-election system was criticized for corruption, deadlocks in state legislatures, and long vacancies when lawmakers could not agree on a senator.

• Progressive Era reformers pushed for more democratic accountability, leading to growing support for direct election and ultimately adoption of the Seventeenth Amendment.