'Traditional redistricting': The formation of southern Congressional districts, 1788--1861

One of the most controversial topics in American politics during the 1990s was the forced creation of various new majority-minority Congressional districts, and the subsequent decisions of the United States Supreme Court that many of these districts were unconstitutional. These opinions held that race cannot be the predominant factor when districting lines are drawn, and the Court also mentioned that in forming the unconstitutional districts, the states had ignored such race-neutral "traditional districting principles" as compactness, contiguity, and respect for preexisting political and geographic boundaries.; When searching for detailed studies on past redistricting practices, however, especially for those prior to the intervention of the federal courts in the 1960s, one finds extraordinarily little. Thus, to help put the controversial 1990s experience in its proper historical context, this study examines the formation of Congressional districts in the American South from 1788 through 1861. By using election returns from prior statewide contests, as well as legislative journals, newspaper reports, and manuscripts, this work shows what the true "traditional principles" were that guided states in the formation of their districts.; Numerous conclusions are reached, including that Congressional redistricting is a constantly evolving process, that sees an inherent tension between the expected use of the "traditional principles" and the formation of districting plans for purely political ends---to maximize the number of seats held by members of a certain group.; Over the nation's first seventy years, there were three distinct "eras" of Congressional redistricting, ranging from the almost completely non-partisan plans enacted immediately upon ratification of the Constitution, to the two decades prior to the Civil War, when redistricting was one of the most divisive issues faced by the Southern legislatures. No matter how intense the partisan bitterness, however, most legislators took pains to adhere to the "traditional principles," for counties were never split, and the large majority of districts were compact, within the same geographic region, and equally populated.; Overall, the South has witnessed seven eras of Congressional redistricting, and while the plans formed in 1991--1992 have elements similar to earlier districtings, in other respects they are startlingly different.