That's why Congress was designated to receive the applications, because given the times it was more practical for legislatures to give the applications to their Senators (remember, pre-17 thamendment) to convey to Congress as the state's intent. That was Congress' role as aggregator, to use your term.
States didn't usually communicate with each other directly, they did so via Congress. They weren't ignorant of the sentiments of other states; they read newspapers and used Congress on their general purpose convention of states for the purpose of Article I legislating within the framework of the Constitution.
Might you perchance be a Libertarian?
Article V was for states to use when they felt that the federal government was somehow deficient in serving their purpose. Today, people forget that the states and the people rule, having delegated limited power to the federal government. You are sounding like the states are there to serve the federal government, and have to unite in some way to convince the feds to let them meet to discuss how to change their own method of governing.
-PJ
Question: When has a "general purpose" convention of the states ever been called in American history? I see no precedent for such a thing.
Even the first convention, the Philadelphia Convention of 1789, the mother of all constitutional conventions, was not a "general purpose" convention: The States convened for the purpose of remediating obvious defects in the Articles of Confederation.
I have no knowledge whatsoever that a "general purpose" constitutional convention has ever been convened in American history. Maybe I've missed something. If so, kindly cure me of my ignorance.
You wrote:
You are sounding like the states are there to serve the federal government, and have to unite in some way to convince the feds to let them meet to discuss how to change their own method of governing.This is not my understanding, nor my position, at all. My fervent hope is that an Article V COS will be called for the main purpose of proposing amendments that restore and strengthen the Tenth Amendment powers of the States as recognized by the federal constitution, which the federal constitution as originally purposed was charged to uphold and defend.
I do not at all regard the several states as mere administrative units of an overweening leviathan. The people, acting through their states, have a sovereign right to call their national government to account for transgressions against their natural and constitutionally-guaranteed liberties, which mainly occur whenever the national government works outside the scope of its very limited constitutional powers. And succeeds in doing so, mainly by invading and effectively nullifying the clear language of the Tenth Amendment.
The States are the bulwark of the people against federal tyranny.
I may be from Massachusetts; but I'm "state's rights," right down to the ground.
In no way am I imploring Congress for "permission" to defend my natural and constitutional rights. Rather, I DEMAND that Congress perform its completely non-optional duty to call a COS, upon evidence that a 34-state quorum on subject matter has been established sufficient to FORCE such a call.
Just some thoughts, FWTW.
Thank you so very much for sharing your thoughts, PJ!