Read a historical political cartoon: symbols, labels and message

Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   The Gerry-mander cartoon, 1812 (cards A to D), from the Library of Congress Law Library blog "Elbridge Gerry and the Monstrous Gerrymander" (February 10, 2017), in our words except where quoted. Card A: on February 11, 1812, Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry signed a redistricting plan that heavily favored his Republican party. The Federalist Party had been critical of President James Madison's foreign policy. The Republican legislators who forced the bill through redrew the voting lines so that the Federalist vote was concentrated in a few districts, while the Republican vote was spread over many. The blog says Gerry was hesitant to sign, and that the plan won 29 seats for the Republicans and 11 for the Federalists, citing an encyclopedia (Selesky, 2006). Card B: the cartoon, a map of the Essex County district drawn with a head, wings and a tail, appeared in the Boston Gazette on March 26, 1812, page 2. Its caption says that the creature of which the drawing is a correct representation "appeared in the County of Essex, during the last session of the Legislature." Card C: the blog says that, reportedly, the Gazette's editor posted the map on his office wall and compared the district to a salamander, saying: "Salamander! Call it a Gerrymander." The word is Gerry plus salamander. Card D: the blog says the original cartoon was drawn by Elkanah Tisdale for the Gazette and is held by the Library of Congress. It adds that Gerry was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and went on to become James Madison's vice president later in 1812.

2. 1.

   The blog was posted by the Library of Congress Law Library in 2017. What is it best evidence for, Esme asks?

   • The exact vote totals in the districts in 1812
   • A record made by a witness to the redistricting in Massachusetts in 1812
   • The Gazette editor's own account of naming the word
   • A modern summary of the 1812 story that cites a source for the seats
3. 2.

   A student writes: "The seat counts alone prove the districts were unfair." How strong is that claim, given card A, Jun asks?

   • Strong: Gerry signed the plan, which shows it was unfair
   • Weak: card A gives seat counts but no vote totals to compare
   • Strong: 29 to 11 is such a lopsided result that it must be unfair
   • Weak: card A says the two parties won equal numbers of seats
4. 3.

   What would a reader need to judge whether the 29 to 11 result matched what voters wanted, Kira asks?

   • The statewide vote totals for each party, to compare with seat share
   • The names of the 40 senators and the towns they lived in at the time
   • A longer list of the offices Gerry held in his life
   • More copies of the cartoon from the Gazette
5. 4.

   Card C says the editor "reportedly" compared the district to a salamander. How should a reader treat the story, Milo asks?

   • As proven fact, since a Library of Congress blog repeats it
   • As false, since stories like this are rarely true
   • As the Gazette's own claim, and a newspaper's story about itself is settled
   • As a story the blog does not confirm, which needs earlier evidence from 1812
6. 5.

   How might Federalists and Republicans each view the district map, given card A, Noah asks?

   • Both parties gained seats, so both parties defended the new map
   • The Republicans had their votes packed into a few districts
   • Federalists had reason to call it unfair; Republicans to defend it
   • The Federalists wrote the bill and pushed it through
7. 6.

   A student writes: "Elbridge Gerry drew the odd district himself." How strong is that claim, given cards A and D, Tala asks?

   • Weak: card B says the district was not drawn by anyone
   • Strong: card A says Gerry signed the plan into law, so he must have drawn it himself
   • Strong: the word Gerrymander comes from his name, so he drew the map himself
   • Weak: card A says Republican legislators redrew the lines; card D credits Tisdale
8. 7.

   Which chain do cards A to C best support, Zee asks?

   • The word came first, and the editor then named the district after it
   • Madison dispute, then a plan packing Federalists, then the cartoon, then the word
   • The plan passed because the cartoon turned readers against Federalists in March
   • The cartoon came first, and the plan was then signed in reply
9. 8.

   Gerry signed on February 11 and the cartoon ran on March 26, 1812, a leap year with 29 days in February. About how long between them, Pia asks?

   • About two weeks, since 26 minus 11 is 15 days
   • About three months, since winter lasts that long in Massachusetts
   • About six months, since the Declaration of Independence came first
   • About six weeks, since 18 days left in February plus 26 is 44 days
10. 9.

    What new evidence would best test whether the editor coined "Gerrymander" in March 1812, Ren asks?

    • The blog's own text again, to read the same story twice more
    • Gazette and other March 1812 papers showing the word's earliest uses
    • Gerry's later career as vice president of the United States
    • A modern map of Essex County drawn in 2017 for a school lesson
11. 10.

    Card D credits Elkanah Tisdale as the cartoonist. How sure should a reader be, Ari asks?

    • Fairly sure the blog accepts it, but it names no 1812 document, so check it
    • Doubtful, since a blog cannot name an artist
    • Certain, since the word Gerry-mander is written across the map of the district
    • Certain, since the Library of Congress holds the cartoon