House of Birgesses

[Keith Broaders]

In 1619 the 11 settlements in Virgina created the House of Burgesses to govern the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The House of Burgesses was initially a Unicameral Legislature with 22 men representing the best iinterests of the 11 permanent settlements in Virginia, The delegates represented the entire community and not the will of individuals or political factions.

In 1776, the Virginia had 64 counties and  created a Senate which consisted of 24 Senatorial Districts. Each of the districts consisted of at least 2 and no more than 3 counties.

In the House of Delegates every one of the 64 counties was entitled to two delegates.

It was the job of the delegates was not to represnt individuals or political factions, it was to represent the best interests of the entire community.

When the people in communities are divided on political issues factions arise  which causes friends and neighbors to become bitter enemies.

In democracies the people into divided into poliitcal factions with the majority factions having the power to exploit the minority faction.

James Madison's believed that the Constitutiion was written to prevent the majority from from using its political power to benefit at he expense of a minority.

The Constitution was not written by the people, it was written by 55 individuals  who were rerpresenting their state's legislators.

The Congress of the united States was established to be a Bicameral Legislature with one House to represent the people and a secomd House representing the state legislatures.

The states were equally represnted in the Senate  and the counties were all represented in the states.

The Bicameral legislative model was adopted by all of the staes except the Nebraska.

Having a true bicameral legislature which small staes and counties could prevent the large states and counties from completely dominating the polityical lamdscape.

We no longer have a bicameral legislature  we have a unicameral legislature with two Houses representing a single constituency.

Without the checks and balances a bicameral legislature can not function properly. A true bicameral legislature promotes liberty,equality and justice. while a dysfunctional one promotes the democracy and the tyranny of the makority.

The ratification of the 17th Amendment pronoted the tyranny of the majority while violating the Amendment Protection Clause in Article 5 which sates "No state shall be deproved of their equal suffrage in the senate without their consent".

In 1913 when Cogress proposed the 17th Amendment,was ratified the Constitution was violated and the many of the states lost theirvoice in the senate.

The following states have never given their consent by ratifying the 17th Amendmen. should challenge the Constitutionality of the 17th Amendment and should refuse to comply with an amendment that violates the Constitution.

Utah, Florida ,Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky,  South Carolina and Virginia have never given their consent to surrendering their Constitutional right to be equally represented and should refuse to comply with the provisions of the 17th Amendment.

[Keith Broaders]

There were approximately 60 to 65 counties in Virginia in 1776. During the early years of the American Revolution, the colony/commonwealth was rapidly dividing its western, larger counties (such as Fincastle and Dunmore in 1772) into smaller ones to accommodate growing populations. 

[Keith Broaders]

In 1790, the 24 members of the Virginia Senate were chosen through a system of popular election based on specifically defined districts, rather than by the state legislature. The 1776 Virginia Constitution established this, creating 24 senatorial districts across the state, with senators elected by qualified voters within those districts.