Final answer:
The Framers of the Constitution, concerned about excessive democracy, designated state legislatures as the bodies responsible for choosing senators. Senators were expected to be 'upright' citizens, and this method was a means to create a stable, balanced government ensuring that legislation was not a product of hasty decisions by directly-elected representatives.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Framers of the Constitution were indeed cautious about too much democracy, as they feared that it could lead to turmoil and instability. In their efforts to safeguard the new government, they devised a method for selecting senators that would balance the influence of the people with a layer of institutional stability. Initially, senators were chosen by state legislatures, a practice that continued until the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1913, which mandated the direct election of senators by the people.
Senators were also typically seen as 'upright' citizens, reflecting the belief that individuals of substantial social standing and presumably sound judgment would be able to wisely deliberate and temper the more spontaneous decisions of the House, which was directly elected by the people. This approach to selecting senators was part of the larger constitutional structure intended to provide checks and balances within the federal government, ensuring that no single faction or hasty impulse of the masses could easily dominate the political process.
Understanding the Framers' design requires noting their desire to create a government of ordered liberty, and their belief that landholders, or freeholders, were the most appropriate individuals to protect liberty and the republic's stability. The Senate, designed to be a moderating body, reflected the elite's distrust in the full democratization that would empower all segments of society equally, and was a compromise aimed at protecting against potential government abuse and mob rule.