Full Citation

Title: The South, Slavery, and Competition in Early US House Elections

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2018

ISBN:

ISSN:

DOI: 10.1017/ssh.2018.23

NSFID:

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PMID:

Abstract: In this study of the early US Congress (First through Nineteenth: 1789–1827), we assess the impact of slavery on the electoral competitiveness of House elections. Slavery and other forms of labor repressive agriculture have long been known to undermine democracy. Using district-level measures of electoral competitiveness and slavery, we find that a higher percentage of slaves in a district negatively impacts competition, even when we limit our models to Southern elections. Our findings indicate that from the nation's founding up to the age of Andrew Jackson, slavery strongly accounts for a pronounced disparity in the competitiveness of House elections.

Url: https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0145553218000238/type/journal_article

User Submitted?: No

Authors: Thames, Frank C.; McKee, Seth C.; McKenzie, Richard

Periodical (Full): Social Science History

Issue: 4

Volume: 42

Pages: 703-729

Data Collections: IPUMS NHGIS

Topics: Other

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