Gerrymandering
Gerrymandering is the deliberate manipulation of legislative district
boundaries to give a disproportional advantage to a political party
or racial group. Gerrymandering is undemocratic and needs to be
expunged from the American political process.
I hope to see the following obituary soon:
Mr. Gerry Mander
Born: March 26, 1812
Died: date chosen by United States Supreme Court
In 1982 my
first book on the history of congressional districts addressed the issue
of gerrymandering.
In 2013 the boundaries and laws in this atlas were a guide in creating a much more detailed digital database by the Political Science Department at UCLA.
Digital Boundary Definitions of United States Congressional Districts, 1789-2012. Los Angeles, California: University of California Los Angeles, Department of Political Science, 2013. Jeffrey B. Lewis, Brandon DeVine, Lincoln Pitcher, and Kenneth C. Martis.
The Washington Post used the database to illustrate the history of gerrymandering in the 7th District of Pennsylvania.
In 2008 I published new information about the origin and spread of the term. “The Original Gerrymander.” Political Geography. Vol. 27, No. 4. November 2008, 833-839.
Jefferson County Commission v. Tennant. December 2011, Charleston, WV (Case No.2:11-cv-0989).
In 2016, I published an editorial in the Morgantown Dominion-Post condemning gerrymandering and promoting the establishment of a West Virginia independent citizen boundary commission as one solution to achieve fair and transparent redistricting.
In 2018 and 2021, I published editorials in the Charleston, West Virginia, Gazette-Mail, discussing recent developments of Independent Redistricting Commissions in other states and their application to the state of West Virginia.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FIRST GERRYMANDER
The following is based on the academic article “The Original Gerrymander.” Political Geography. Vol. 27, No. 4. November 2008, 833-839, by Kenneth C. Martis.
Gerrymander is one of the few words in the English language, or any language, which can trace the exact date of origin. On March 26, 1812, the word appeared for the first time in the Boston Gazette newspaper. But by the end of the year “gerrymander” was fast becoming the lexicon for the distortion and manipulation of election district boundaries to benefit the political party in power. The story of the first gerrymander and the spread, not only of the word, but, more importantly, of the practice, is a story of American democracy gone awry.
The origins of gerrymandering began with the development of political factions in the first decade of constitutional democracy. The emergence of two general political philosophies during the presidency of George Washington (1789-1797) led to two competing political coalitions. The Federalists believed in a strong central government, for example, the establishment of a national bank, and protection of American commerce. The philosophical leaders of the movement were Alexander Hamilton and John Adams. The core of Federalist support was in cities and areas of trade and commerce, especially New England. The opposition to the Federalists was led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Their philosophy of republicanism, limited government, and states’ rights, led to the formation of the Jefferson Republican Party. Support for the Republicans (not to be confused with the modern Republican Party formed in the 1850s) came mostly from rural areas, especially the rural South.
The Federalists were the dominant party in the state of Massachusetts in its early history. However, for the first time, in the election of 1811, the Republicans captured the governorship and both houses of the state assembly. The winning gubernatorial candidate was Elbridge Gerry. Coincidentally, the Republicans now had the power to redistrict the state after the 1810 census and wield their newly won authority against the despised Federalists. In a redistricting law, signed by Governor Gerry, the drawing of a particularly twisting circuitous state senate district, Essex South, would become the poster child of election boundary manipulation for the rest of history. A map of the offending district, morphed into a dragon like shape in an accompanying political cartoon, led to the creation by Federalist newspaper editors of the portmanteau, “Gerry-mander”, after Governor Gerry and the salamander like dragon monster.
For over two hundred years gerrymandering has been used by the reigning U.S. political parties in drawing congressional, state legislature, and even local districts. Eventually this practice spread throughout much of the democratic world. The two hundredth anniversary of gerrymandering in 2012 saw the post 2010 census drawing of numerous distorted U. S. congressional and state legislature districts in states where one party controlled the boundary drawing process. With the advent of computer cartography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) gerrymandering is now an exact science. Nonetheless, the same computer cartography techniques, coupled with independent election boundary commissions, can also be used to draw compact competitive districts of communities of interest and eliminate forever the deliberate rigging of elections by boundary manipulation.
Key Characters
Elbridge Gerry, signer of the Constitution, Republican Governor of Massachusetts, Vice President of the United States under President James Madison
Boston and New England Federalist newspaper editors, especially brothers John and Benjamin Russell, and Federalist newspapers throughout the United States
Illustrations
- Maps of two Massachusetts election districts, March 9, 1812, Boston Gazette (Library of Congress)
- Original gerrymander cartoon illustration, March 26, 1812, Boston Gazette (Library of Congress)
- Woodcuts used in the printing of the original gerrymander cartoon (Library of Congress, photograph by Kenneth C. Martis)
- Reprinting of original gerrymander cartoon, April 2, 1813, Salem Gazette (Cornell University Library)
- Broadside with Massachusetts election map and original gerrymander cartoon, Boston, no date [between 1813-1822] (American Antiquarian Society)
- Portrait of Elbridge Gerry (Monmouth College)
- Maryland Gerrymander – October 12, 1812, Federal Republican Georgetown, Washington, DC.
- Map of the Political Parties of the Thirteenth Congress 1813-1815 (from The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress by Kenneth C. Martis)
Maps of two Massachusetts election districts from the March 9, 1812 Boston Gazette (Library of Congress)
Original gerrymander cartoon illustration from the March 26, 1812 edition of the Boston Gazette (Library of Congress)
Woodcuts used in the printing of the original gerrymander cartoon (photograph by Kenneth C. Martis)
Reprinting of original gerrymander cartoon, April 2, 1813, Salem Gazette (Cornell University Library)
Broadside with Massachusetts election map and original gerrymander cartoon, Boston, no date [between 1813-1822] (American Antiquarian Society)
Portrait of Elbridge Gerry (Monmouth College)
Notwithstanding more than two-thirds of the state of Maryland are federal, no addition will be made to her federal representation in congress. — So adroitely have the districts been carved in the true Gerrymander style, that the number of democratic members is in an inverse ratio to the relative number of democrats in the state. But even in these curiously adjusted ditricts, the majorities have shrunk into a size, which leaves more room to that party for fear than boasting.
Maryland Gerrymander – quotation from the Federal Republican Georgetown, Washington, DC, October 12, 1812
Map of the Political Parties of the Thirteenth Congress (1813-1815) The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress By Kenneth C. Martis
Based on the academic article “The Original Gerrymander.” Political Geography. Vol. 27, No. 4. November 2008, 833-839, by Kenneth C. Martis.