Prior to the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, U.S. senators were appointed by their state legislators and not directly elected by the people. Professors Wendy Schiller from Brown University and Todd Zywicki from George Mason University discuss the genesis of the amendment and how it fundamentally changed American politics.

Follow Todd Zywicki on Twitter: @ToddZywicki
https://twitter.com/toddzywicki

Learn more about Todd Zywicki:
https://www.law.gmu.edu/faculty/directory/fulltime/zywicki_todd

Follow Wendy Schiller on Twitter: @Profwschiller
https://twitter.com/profwschiller

Learn more about Wendy Schiller:
https://watson.brown.edu/people/faculty-fellows/schiller