Monday, January 07, 2008
Elbridge Gerry was a Creative Politician

Today while reading my James Madison book, I learned that the term gerrymandering was a press-coined term in response to congressman Elbridge Gerry's redistricting of the state of Massachusetts in order to win reelection. Here's a bit more on this, courtesty of Yahoo Answers:

"Gerrymandering, the redrawing of congressional districts to ensure that elections favor a particular political or ethnic group, has been around almost as long as the Constitution itself. The term was coined when Eldridge [sic] Gerry, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, sought to engineer his reelection as governor of Massachusetts in 1811 by rearranging voting districts so crudely that one resembled a salamander."

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I'm Blake. I like to learn stuff.

I like to learn about history, art, culture, sports, and politics. I like learning about what happens when you mix Diet Coke and Mentos. I like learning about Britney's latest flameup, Beckham's newest haircut, and how to make little origami gift boxes out a piece of 8.5x11.

I started this blog for me to have a place to write about the things that I've learned. I hope that you enjoy reading.

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