The Lost Right of the States

[Keith Broaders]

The most hotly contested debated at the Constitutional Convention was over how the states would be represented. Under the Article of Conferderation, Congress consisted of a unicameral legislature with entitled each state to send a minimum of two and a maximum of seven delegates to represent the people and the states. Each of the 13 states wasentitled to one vote and all legislation required the apprval of 9 of the 13 states.

The large states of Virginia, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania argued that allowing the snaller states equal representation was unfair and that representation should be based on population,

As a compromise it was decided to create a bicameral legislature that created a House of Representatives to represent the people and a Senate to represent the states.

This role of the House was to express the will of the majority while the Senate was created to prevent the House from passing legislation that was contrary to  the best interests of the states.

The right of the states to be equally represented is mandated in Article V where it prohibits Congress from depriving the states of the equal suffrage in the senate withouit their consent.

When Congrerss proposed the direct election of Senators in 1913 they truned the  Congress into a unicameral legislature with two houses representing the interests of the Wall Street Corporations and stripping the states of their equal representation,

In the 1960's the counties lost t equal representation in the legislatres of their  states.due to a series of Supreme Court opinions.

In Florida all of the counties were represented in the state senate and in 1968 Florida's bicameral legislatre became unicameral legislature served the interests of the people living in the urban counties and made the tyranny of the majority possible.

Counties and States are regions that have with different identities and values and have a Constitutional right to be fairly  represented 

Suwannee County is one of 13 counties in Northern Florida that have 1 senator whileMiami Dade Countyhas 6 state senators and 16 state representative.