미국 연방헌법 수정조항 제17조의 제정에 담긴 시대적 의미

The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Federal Constitution was adopted in 1913 during the progressive era as a provision for direct election of senators. U.S. senators have traditionally been elected through an “indirect election” method elected by state legislatures, which lasted until the early 20th century. However, from the end of the 19th century, the Senate has degenerated into a hotbed of political corruption. In the 20th century, corruption intensified and reached a serious situation, and the frequent disruption of the state legislature due to the dispute over vested interests, the resulting deadlock of the state legislature, and the absence of senators emerged as the biggest political issue. The issue of Senate election reform began to be discussed in earnest in the progressive era. This provision stipulates in the Constitution the governor’s authority to arbitrarily appoint a member of the Senate in the event of a Senate vacancy, including a change from the previous indirect election method to a direct election method. However, the Seventeenth Amendment, which was enacted at the reform level, has been controversial from the implementation process to the present amid a dichotomy that it is a law that reduces state authority while the federal authority has been excessively expanded. Controversy over the maintenance and abolition of the law is still underway, but it can be emphasized that the enactment of this clause is meaningful in that it expanded the political participation of the people through democratic procedures and achieved equality of political rights through political reform.