Description
This case study considers the matter of congressional apportionment – how the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are allocated among the states. The perspective is an historical one, using the text of the U.S. Constitution and data from past U.S. Censuses. Although a hypothetical contested U.S. presidential election is used to frame the possible implications, all of the work for this case study is rooted in actual historical information and events. The case culminates with a consideration of the 2000 U.S. presidential election.
The case contains a number of historical vignettes that ask the reader to consider the decisions and interpretations made at the time. An effort is made to place the reader, in terms of the information available to them, in the given historical situation. This case should appeal to those with interests in history, political science, and/or mathematics.
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Topics
- Democratic Governance, Constitutional Guardrails
Resource Type
- Interactive Exercise or Project
Time Commitment
- Multiple Sessions