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Erik J. Engstrom offers a historical perspective on the effects of gerrymandering on elections and party control of the U.S. national legislature. Aside from the requirements that districts be continuous and, after 1842, that each select only one representative, there were few restrictions on congressional districting. Unrestrained, state legislators drew and redrew districts to suit their own partisan agendas. With the rise of the “one-person, one-vote” doctrine and the implementation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, however, redistricting became subject to court oversight.

Engstrom evaluates the abundant cross-sectional and temporal variation in redistricting plans and their electoral results from all the states, from 1789 through the 1960s, to identify the causes and consequences of partisan redistricting. His analysis reveals that districting practices across states and over time systematically affected the competitiveness of congressional elections; shaped the partisan composition of congressional delegations; and, on occasion, determined party control of the House of Representatives.

Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. p. 1
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  1. Cover Page
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  1. Title Page, Abstract, About the Author, About the Series, Other Works in the Series, Copyright
  2. pp. 2-5
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  1. Frontmatter
  2. p. i
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  1. Acknowledgments
  2. pp. 6-7
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  1. Series
  2. p. ii
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  1. Contents
  2. pp. 8-9
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  1. Title Page
  2. p. iii
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  1. One. Gerrymandering and the Evolution of American Politics
  2. pp. 1-18
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  1. Copyright Page
  2. p. iv
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  1. Part I: The Early Republic, 1789–1840
  1. Acknowledgments
  2. pp. v-vi
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  1. Two. Districting and the Construction of Early American Democracy
  2. pp. 21-42
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  1. Three. The Origins of Single-Member Districts
  2. pp. 43-56
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  1. One - Gerrymandering and the Evolution of American Politics
  2. pp. 1-18
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  1. Part II: The Partisan Era, 1840–1900
  1. Part I: The Early Republic, 1789–1840
  2. pp. 19-20
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  1. Four. The Strategic Timing of Congressional Redistricting
  2. pp. 59-79
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  1. Two - Districting and the Construction of Early American Democracy
  2. pp. 21-42
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  1. Five. Stacking the States, Stacking the House: The Partisan Consequences of Congressional Redistricting
  2. pp. 80-99
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  1. Three - The Origins of Single-Member Districts
  2. pp. 43-56
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  1. Six. Electoral Competition and Critical Elections
  2. pp. 100-129
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  1. Part II: The Partisan Era, 1840–1900
  2. pp. 57-58
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  1. Seven. A Congress of Strangers: Gerrymandering and Legislative Turnover
  2. pp. 130-147
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  1. Four - The Strategic Timing of Congressional Redistricting
  2. pp. 59-79
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  1. Eight. The Partisan Impact of Malapportionment
  2. pp. 148-164
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  1. Five - Stacking the States, Stacking the House: The Partisan Consequences of Congressional Redistricting
  2. pp. 80-99
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  1. Part III: Redistricting in the Candidate-Centered Era,1900–Present
  1. Six - Electoral Competition and Critical Elections
  2. pp. 100-129
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  1. Nine. From Turbulence to Stasis, 1900–1964
  2. pp. 167-190
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  1. Seven - A Congress of Strangers: Gerrymandering and Legislative Turnover
  2. pp. 130-147
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  1. Ten. Gerrymandering and the Future of American Politics
  2. pp. 191-206
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  1. Eight - The Partisan Impact of Malapportionment
  2. pp. 148-164
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  1. Notes
  2. pp. 207-212
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  1. Part III: Redistricting in the Candidate-Centered Era, 1900–Present
  2. pp. 165-166
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  1. References
  2. pp. 213-222
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  1. Nine - From Turbulence to Stasis, 1900–1964
  2. pp. 167-190
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  1. Index
  2. pp. 223-228
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  1. Ten - Gerrymandering and the Future of American Politics
  2. pp. 191-206
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  1. Notes
  2. pp. 207-212
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  1. References
  2. pp. 213-222
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  1. Index
  2. pp. 223-227
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