Before the 17th Amendment, members of the House of Representatives were elected directly by the people, but members of the Senate were elected by the individual states' legislatures. However, the...
Senators Elected by Popular Vote.
The seventeenth amendment was passed on May 13th, 1912 but ratified on April 8th, 1913
People who are for states' rights are against the 17th Am. They believe that the direct election of senators takes power away from the states.
In giving the elective power to the states, the framers of the Constitution hoped to protect state independence