How were senators originally chosen

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years. [U.S. Constitution, Article I, section 3, clause 1]

The Virginia Plan, which set the initial terms of debate for the Constitutional Convention, did not specify a length of term for either house of Congress.

It merely proposed that members of the Senate “hold their offices for a term sufficient to ensure their independency.”

In deciding term lengths, Convention delegates turned to the practices of state governments.

Although the majority of states set one-year terms for both houses of their legislatures, five state constitutions established longer terms for upper house members.

How long is a house of representatives term

South Carolina’s senators served two-year terms, for example, while senators in Delaware served three-year terms with one-third of the senate’s nine members up for reelection each year. New York and Virginia implemented a similar system but with four-year terms instead of three.

Only Maryland’s senate, whose members were not directly elected by

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