Define gerrymandering and describe its origins. Use examples to ...

[WhattoUnderstand]

Define gerrymandering and describe its origins. Use examples to explain how it works.
 
  Answer:

Question 2

Founder James Madison wrote, to control the legislative authority, you must divide it. When it came to Congress, the Constitution did just that.
 
  Explain how the bicameral design of Congress works as a check on congressional power. Be sure to include terms of office, timing of elections, and age and residency requirements in your discussion.

[ong527]

Answer to Question 1

An ideal response will:
1. Define gerrymandering as the redrawing of district lines to benefit a party, group, or incumbent.
2. Gerrymandering dates back to the early 1800s, when Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry signed off on a salamander-shaped district to help his party win an extra seat.
3. Cracking and packing are two ways to manipulate redistricting. Cracking involves the breakup of a strong minority party district into pieces that then go into other districts. Packing merges pieces of the majority party from its weak districts into a single strong district.

Answer to Question 2

Answer:
An ideal response will:
1. Explain that House and Senate members serve different terms of office and are reelected on different schedules. The purpose was to make House members more responsive to voters back home and to insulate Senators from popular displeasure.
2. House members must be 25 and citizens for seven years, whereas Senators have to be 30 and citizens for nine years.
3. The Framers purpose in setting the Senate requirements higher was to have the Senate serve as a check on what James Madison called the fickleness and passion of the House. This is also why the Framers originally had Senators picked by state legislators, although this was changed in 1913 to a direct election.

[WhattoUnderstand]

Correct answers!

[ong527]

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