The Virgin Vote: How Young Americans Made Democracy Social, Politics Personal, and Voting Popular in the Nineteenth Century by Jon Grinspan (review)

Floats featuring caged raccoons, foxes, and bears; roaring bonfires and exploding fireworks; giant rolling leather balls; and fully rigged ships on wheels—these circus elements were part of the average political party rally of the 1840s. Designed to capture the attention of children, these events were just one of the many ways young people were introduced to politics in the mid-nineteenth century. While the study of youth and the study of politicking may seem like unrelated topics, Jon Grinspan convincingly argues in The Virgin Vote: How Young Americans Made Democracy Social, Politics Personal, and Voting Popular in the Nineteenth Century that from 1840 to 1900, it was young people who fueled American politics. In turn, the political party system helped young people find identity and belonging in the rapidly changing society of the nineteenth century. A quick and illuminating read, Grinspan’s book successfully infuses the history of politics with the history of youth.

Grinspan divides his work into five straightforward chapters to explore the political significance and activity of nineteenth-century youth. Chapter 1 shows how children were politically socialized from an early age through family, schooling, and public events. According to Grinspan, adults “imbued children’s lives with partisanship from the very start,” although it was not until they reached their teenage years that they grasped what their families’ political beliefs actually meant (18). Both girls’ and boys’ political education continued through their interactions with often young, partisan teachers; it was solidified through inclusion in the political rallies they attended with parents where they were encouraged to find identity. In chapter 2, Grinspan explains how young people (more specifically, young, white men) used democracy as a tool to cope with the uncertainties of their generation. Nineteenth-century America underwent rapid transformations with often dizzying effects on youths. While their future careers, residences, and spouses were always in question, the path to manhood via democracy was a clear one: once a white man turned twenty-one, he could vote and participate in the democratic process. Additionally, political parties offered access to networks that crossed state lines, job and mentor opportunities, and a place to meet members of the opposite sex. Consequently, political participation offered a consistency or predictability that youth lacked during this time period.

Chapters 3 and 4 explain the significance of the “virgin vote” and outline the strategies used to recruit young men into political parties. Grinspan notes that “a man’s first vote had deep consequences in his own life” (61). The symbolism behind casting a vote for the first time was profound. Not only was it a public recognition of a boy transitioning into a man but it also elevated white men above those who could not vote, such as women or African American men. More importantly, political parties worked hard to earn these first votes because it was rare that voters changed party lines. Finally, in chapter 5, Grinspan concludes The Virgin Vote by tracing the decline of youth participation in politics after 1900. The turn of the century brought about new institutions with increased age segregation, more exciting forms of consumer entertainment, and a push by reformers to separate political culture from youth culture. As a result, young people no longer needed, nor found a place in, the political party system of the twentieth century.

The Virgin Vote does an excellent job of incorporating young people into the political history of the nineteenth century. Grinspan adheres to an established scholarly narrative that the first half of the nineteenth century was socially a time of turmoil and angst, yet also demonstrates the ways young people were resilient, despite their uncertain futures, finding meaning in larger movements. The strength of this work comes from his ability to uncover the lived experiences of youth. Grinspan relies heavily on the use of diaries...