The Gerrymander

"The Gerrymander. A New
Species of Monster"
Boston Gazette, March 26, 1812
Page 2
Newspaper
Serial & Government
Publications Division (90.6)

In 1812, Jeffersonian Republicans forced through the Massachusetts legislature a bill rearranging district lines to assure them an advantage in the upcoming senatorial elections. Although Governor Elbridge Gerry had only reluctantly signed the law, a Federalist editor is said to have exclaimed upon seeing the new district lines, "Salamander! Call it a Gerrymander." This cartoon-map first appeared in the Boston Gazette for March 26, 1812.