The Constitution, if ratified, would put into place a bicameral congress containing both a House of Representatives and a Senate. The population of each state was to decide how much power it received in the House of Representatives, while power in the Senate was to remain equal for every state, regardless of its population. Antifederalists in small states opposed this, believing that they were not being represented adequately. Antifederalists in large states, however, agreed with this part of the Constitution, but had other problems with the house of Representatives. As the requirements to serve in the House of Representatives were considered, their concern was how long a representative would be able to serve. They feared that if someone served for two years, he or she could take advantage of the position. The Federalists argued that a two-year term was necessary for the people to be properly represented. Any less time would not give representatives enough time to actually learn their position. They would spent most of their time traveling to and from to Congress and running for reelection instead of learning about the issues they needed to know. Another objection of the Antifederalists was election by the general population. They believed that the people were not qualified to select representatives, and they wanted the state legislature to select them instead. Other Antifederalists, however, did think that the people should be able to provide their opinions through identifying their choices for the position of representative, but that the state senators should select them. .
The other part of Congress is the Senate. The Antifederalists feared that the Senate would ultimately become an aristocracy. Senators were to be selected from a small number of individuals, elected by the state legislatures for terms lasting six years, and were to be eligible for reelection. The Constitution did not provide instructions for a mandatory rotation in the office, nor did it give any other guidance to prevent a senator from serving for life.
