claim: The American Civil War took place in the southern United States.
evidence: The Treason of the Senate was a series of articles in Cosmopolitan magazine by David Graham Phillips , published in 1906 .. Cosmopolitan. Cosmopolitan ( magazine ). David Graham Phillips. David Graham Phillips. The articles were each published a month apart , beginning with the forward in February and the last article , in July .. The series is a caustic expose of the corruption of the United States Senate , particularly the corporate magnate-turned-Senator Nelson Aldrich from Rhode Island .. expose. investigative journalism. corruption. Political corruption. United States Senate. United States Senate. Nelson Aldrich. Nelson Aldrich. Rhode Island. Rhode Island. During the composition of the articles , Phillips received help from newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst , who then desired to publish sensationalist stories to attract more readership of his publications .. William Randolph Hearst. William Randolph Hearst. The series was thought to be widely accepted because of the lack of much criticism .. criticism. Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution#Calls for repeal of gubernatorial appointment option. There were not any efforts to discredit Phillips , apart from an article written in the Chicago Tribune in March of 1906 , after only the forward and first article had been published .. Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune. The article is titled `` No Treason In the Senate '' and was asking for proof of Phillips ' claims .. The release of the series precipitated the passage and ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment , which provides the direct election of the U.S. Senators .. Seventeenth Amendment. Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. In the seven years , it took to ratify the Amendment , some of the 20 Senators criticized by Phillips in the articles resigned or died .. None of the 24 Senators who stood in the first direct election in 1914 was defeated .. The option the Amendment allowed -LRB- for appointment by the affected state 's governor of a new senator when a seat is vacated mid-term -RRB- has come under criticism in 2009 .. criticism. Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution#Calls for repeal of gubernatorial appointment option