Happy Birthday, 17th Amendment!

Center for Civic Education: The 17th Amendment

The 17th Amendment says that the people can directly vote for U.S. senators. this amendment was added to the U.S. Constitution on April 8, 1913. Before 1913, state governments chose the senators. People did not like this. They wanted to vote for senators themselves. They thought the old way was unfair and could lead to corruption."

60-Second Civics, Episode 5299: January 29, 2025 (a rebroadcast of Episode 5049: January 9, 2023)

Subscribe and take the Daily Civics Quiz at http://civiced.org/60-second-civics

Also see:

• National Archives: 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)
• National Constitution Center: The 17th Amendment
• Senate.gov
• VOA Learning English: What Is the US Senate?

POP QUIZ

USCIS 100:07. How many amendments does the Constitution have?

USCIS 100:16.  Who makes federal laws?

USCIS 100:17.   What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?*

USCIS 100:18.  How many U.S. Senators are there?

USCIS 100:19.  We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years? 

USCIS 100:20.  Who is one of your state’s U.S. Senators now?*

USCIS 100:24.  Who does a U.S. Senator represent?