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Originally under the Constitution, each state legislature elected its state's senators for six-year terms.
Each state, regardless of size, is entitled to two senators as part of the Connecticut Compromise between the small and large states.
This contrasted with the House of Representatives, a body elected by popular vote, and was described as an uncontroversial decision to make ; James Wilson was the sole advocate of popularly electing the Senate and his proposal was defeated 10 – 1.
There were many advantages to the original method of electing senators.
Prior to the Constitution, a federal body was one where states effectively formed nothing more than permanent treaties, with citizens retaining their loyalty to their original state.
However, under the Constitution the states were subordinated to a central government ; the election of senators by the states reassured Antifederalists that there would be some protection against the swallowing up of states and their powers by an ever-expanding Federal government, providing a check on the power of the federal government.

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