Elbridge Gerry
Former Vice President of the United StatesWikipedia
47
MENTIONS
33
EPISODES
25
PODCASTS
Search complete. 47 mentions across 33 episodes found for "Elbridge Gerry".
Nov 5, 2026
Matt BevanHOST
In fact, it's such an old practice that even the word we use to describe it, a gerrymander, is from all the way back in 1812.
speaker_4SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
At the time, Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry had approved redrawn districts in the state in a bid to keep his party in power.
Matt BevanHOST
A cartoonist at the Boston Gazette looked at the map and decided that one of the districts resembled a salamander.
Matt BevanHOST
He combined the governor's name, Elbridge Gerry, with the shape of the salamander and created the word gerrymander, as we now pronounce it.
Matt BevanHOST
So let's find out from this old-timey video how this process works.
speaker_17SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Here is how gerrymandering may be accomplished.
Jeff MaurerSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
It requires all politicians go on record for every vote and allows voters to recall any federal official at any time.
Jeff MaurerSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Elbridge Gerry, signer to the Declaration, fifth vice president of the United States, and the literal Jerry in gerrymander, won't get to redraw his districts and pick his voters.
Jeff MaurerSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Now that we have these five new amendments, how would we adopt them? Article 5 spells it out using Congress and the state legislatures.
Jeff MaurerSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
But ratification is intentionally hard and requires a social movement like we had for women's suffrage or prohibition.
Jeff MaurerSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
It requires all politicians go on record for every vote and allows voters to recall any federal official at any time.
Jeff MaurerSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Elbridge Gerry, signer to the Declaration, fifth vice president of the United States, and the literal Jerry in gerrymander, won't get to redraw his districts and pick his voters.
Jeff MaurerSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Now that we have these five new amendments, how would we adopt them? Article 5 spells it out using Congress and the state legislatures.
Jeff MaurerSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
But ratification is intentionally hard and requires a social movement like we had for women's suffrage or prohibition.
Jeff MaurerSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
It requires all politicians go on record for every vote and allows voters to recall any federal official at any time.
Jeff MaurerSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Elbridge Gerry, signer to the Declaration, fifth vice president of the United States, and the literal Jerry in gerrymander, won't get to redraw his districts and pick his voters.
Jeff MaurerSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Now that we have these five new amendments, how would we adopt them? Article 5 spells it out using Congress and the state legislatures.
Jeff MaurerSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
But ratification is intentionally hard and requires a social movement like we had for women's suffrage or prohibition.
speaker_0HOST
Dr. Franklin Hearing Randolph expressed his fear that the governor thought the morning's speech aimed at him and assured him it had been written before he knew what Randolph would say.
speaker_0HOST
And Elbridge Gerry, describing the painful feelings of a situation, said he could not but view the doctor's remarks as leveled at himself and the other gentleman who meant not to sign it.
speaker_0HOST
The ambiguity of the signature phrase allowed Blout to sign, but Randolph told Franklin, plainly, that he could not regard the signing in the proposed form as anything different from signing the Constitution itself.
speaker_0HOST
The device changed nothing for him.
6 MINS LATER
speaker_0HOST
And at the bottom of the page, Abraham Baldwin, whose single vote had made the July 2nd tie, closed the list for Georgia.
speaker_0HOST
Rhode Island appears nowhere.
speaker_0HOST
Edmund Randolph, George Mason, and Elbridge Gerry stayed in their seats.
speaker_0HOST
Dr. McClurg signed with the Maryland delegation and set down in his diary the next day a private letter of why.
Dan ProftHOST
You know, the House, uh, will, will probably, uh, the House majority will probably go away.
Dan ProftHOST
But thanks to the gerrymandering that was instigated by the left, going all the way back to Elbridge Gerry in Massachusetts, um, I don't think it will be as substantial as you, um, customarily get in midterms.
Dan ProftHOST
I mean, don't forget, um, a-a-amid all of the bloviations here, and this was my point to Jerry, is, um, and predictions of blue waves and so and so forth, the, uh, angst and the attitudes that are, uh, prevalent right now in the electorate, generally speaking, are not atypical of midterm elections with a two-term president and a party that has both the White House and Congress.
Dan ProftHOST
These are not atypical sort of, uh, m-manifestations of fatigue with an incumbent party.
FarzHOST
Deal.
TaylorHOST
Elbridge Gerry.
TaylorHOST
William R.
TaylorHOST
King.
David BartonGUEST
Benjamin Rush of Pennsylvania.
David BartonGUEST
Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts and on through it goes.
David BartonGUEST
Now, we've probably never heard of most of those names.
David BartonGUEST
And so that's where I like to take schools.
Jeff KellickHOST
Roger Sherman said that the people immediately should have as little to do as may be about the government, meaning that they should not elect it directly.
Jeff KellickHOST
Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts said that the evils we experience flow from the excess of democracy.
Jeff KellickHOST
The people do not want virtue, but are dupes of pretended patriots.
Jeff KellickHOST
George Mason, who had written the Virginia Declaration of Rights, answered that the first branch was to be the grand depository of the democratic principles of the government.
Charles C. W. CookePANELIST
It has existed right from the beginning of the Republic.
Charles C. W. CookePANELIST
It's literally named after one of the founders, Elbridge Gerry, and both sides do it when they can.
Charles C. W. CookePANELIST
They do it because they want to win.
Charles C. W. CookePANELIST
They do it because they want to protect their incumbent.
23 more episodes mention Elbridge Gerry.
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