Introduction

Political division within the United States, which has been on the rise since the early 2000s, may feel unprecedented in its viciousness and divisiveness. But political division has always been a part of America’s history, even from its founding.

While President George Washington warned against political parties, which he feared would divide the nation, factions divided his own cabinet members and a two-party system evolved. As the new nation developed, political divisions became deeply entrenched in the landscape of American politics. Political candidates used newspapers, letters, and pamphlets to criticize and obliterate their opponents, with little care for facts. And to win elections, politicians began to find creative ways to push the other political party out of power through a redistricting process that became known as gerrymandering.