--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even in Madison's day, the practice of…" description: "\"Even in Madison's day, the practice of gerrymandering for partisan advantage was familiar. In the late seventeen-eighties, there were claims that Patri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6dd/jeffrey-toobin-31448_advantage_even-in-madison-s-day-the-practice-of-ge_2095664.jpg" --- # Even in Madison's day, the practice of gerrymandering for… ![“Even in Madison's day, the practice of gerrymandering for partisan advantage was familiar. In the late seventeen-eighties, there were claims that Patrick Henry had tried to gerrymander Madison himself out of the First Congress. The term was coined during Madison's Presidency, to mock Elbridge…” quote by Jeffrey Toobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6dd/jeffrey-toobin-31448_advantage_even-in-madison-s-day-the-practice-of-ge_2095664.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6dd/jeffrey-toobin-31448_advantage_even-in-madison-s-day-the-practice-of-ge_2095664.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6dd/jeffrey-toobin-31448_advantage_even-in-madison-s-day-the-practice-of-ge_2095664.jpg) > “Even in Madison's day, the practice of gerrymandering for partisan advantage was familiar. In the late seventeen-eighties, there were claims that Patrick Henry had tried to gerrymander Madison himself out of the First Congress. The term was coined during Madison's Presidency, to mock Elbridge Gerry, the governor of Massachusetts, who in 1811 approved an election district that was said to look like a salamander.” [Jeffrey Toobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-toobin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Gerrymandering began in early U.S. politics, named after Elbridge Gerry’s oddly shaped district, and has long been used for partisan gain. **In simple terms:** Gerrymandering is a historic, partisan redistricting tactic. Key Takeaway Advocate fair districting and electoral reforms. Themes politics fairness representation history strategy Mood critical concerned Type historical analytical When to use this quote - local elections - state legislatures - court challenges - campaign planning Key Concepts democracy electoral law partisan tactics Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can prevent partisan redistricting? - How does gerrymandering affect voter trust? A Different Perspective Modern technology makes gerrymandering more precise, complicating reform efforts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advantage/) [Congress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress/) [Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) [Gerrymandering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gerrymandering/) [Governors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governors/) [Massachusetts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/massachusetts/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Presidency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presidency/) [Salamanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salamanders/) ## Related quotes > [Try to un-gerrymander these districts so that you're not packing all the Democrats into one district, so you've got districts that are competitive, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/collin-peterson/try-to-un-gerrymander-these-districts-so-that-you-re-not-packing-all/) [Collin Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/collin-peterson/) > [First they gerrymander us into one-party fiefs. Then they tell us they only care about the swing districts. Then they complain about voter apathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/first-they-gerrymander-us-into-one-party-fiefs-then-they-tell-us-they/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [You can gerrymander one district, but it's very difficult to gerrymander the whole country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allard-k-lowenstein/you-can-gerrymander-one-district-but-it-s-very-difficult-to/) [Allard K. Lowenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allard-k-lowenstein/) > [I think the Democratic Party is firmly in the wilderness right now and doesn't know exactly what to do. We talk about trust. Fundamentally,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-rasoul/i-think-the-democratic-party-is-firmly-in-the-wilderness-right-now/) [Sam Rasoul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-rasoul/) > [Republican lawmakers unwilling or unable to win blacks, Latinos, Asian Americans, and other groups have used the leeway of Shelby County to institute voter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/republican-lawmakers-unwilling-or-unable-to-win-blacks-latinos-asian/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [I believed I was a salamander, and it seems I am nothing but an impediment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelda-fitzgerald/i-believed-i-was-a-salamander-and-it-seems-i-am-nothing-but-an/) [Zelda Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelda-fitzgerald/) > [“Salamanders are interesting, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/salamanders-are-interesting-and-don-t-let-anyone-tell-you-otherwise/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“Well, we have found salamanders are very resistant to cancer. 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Ruby-red eyes regarded me with mild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/i-dived-for-it-caught-it-three-inches-above-the-cement-and-found/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Amphibians are dying out like crazy, and frogs and salamanders may be largely extinct by the end of the twenty-first century. Imagine an animal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/amphibians-are-dying-out-like-crazy-and-frogs-and-salamanders-may-be/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [“And Nuria again saw hundreds, thousands, millions of slimy, horrible salamanders all around her”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-arrabal/and-nuria-again-saw-hundreds-thousands-millions-of-slimy-horrible/) [Fernando Arrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-arrabal/) ## More by Jeffrey Toobin > [Everyone wants to be paid well - I know that I certainly do. 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