The First Elections

"In a stunning new interpretation of early American politics, Jay Dow explores the relationship between the growth of American democracy and the development of the first political parties. Drawing on a rich trove of newly available historical evidence, Dow shows how voter participation shaped the nature of party conflict in the first elections for Congress. Anyone interested in politics—past or present—will learn much from this book."— Rosemarie Zagarri author of Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the Early American Republic

"Combing the historical archives for intriguing vignettes and getting the most out of newly discovered electoral data, Jay K. Dow portrays an exciting and novel picture of pre-Jacksonian party development and involvement in US House elections. The First Elections is a must-read for those interested not only in how and why parties formed but when they formed. Dow clearly illuminates an electoral era heretofore misunderstood by most."— Marty Cohen , author of Moral Victories in the Battle for Congress

" The First Elections shatters the myth that American political parties first took shape during the Jacksonian era. By closely analyzing elections in the House of Representatives, Dow convincingly demonstrates that a vibrant party system took shape in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. An engaging study that draws on the work of historians and political scientists, the book is a must-read for anyone interested in the origins and evolution of American political practices."— David W. Houpt , author of To Organize the Sovereign People: Political Mobilization in Revolutionary Pennsylvania

"Political science scholarship has told us for many years that competitive two-party activity drives voter turnout upward, but these scholarly accounts tend to neglect elections in the early American republic. Jay Dow’s manuscript reveals that indeed the same rule applies to the United States’ first three decades of existence. Dow shows us that the roots of Jacksonian politics preceded Andrew Jackson himself."— Donald A. Zinman , author of America’s First Wartime Election: James Madison, DeWitt Clinton, and the War of 1812

"In a stunning new interpretation of early American politics, Jay Dow explores the relationship between the growth of American democracy and the development of the first political parties. Drawing on a rich trove of newly available historical evidence, Dow shows how voter participation shaped the nature of party conflict in the first elections for Congress. Anyone interested in politics—past or present—will learn much from this book."— Rosemarie Zagarri author of Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the Early American Republic

"Combing the historical archives for intriguing vignettes and getting the most out of newly discovered electoral data, Jay K. Dow portrays an exciting and novel picture of pre-Jacksonian party development and involvement in US House elections. The First Elections is a must-read for those interested not only in how and why parties formed but when they formed. Dow clearly illuminates an electoral era heretofore misunderstood by most."— Marty Cohen , author of Moral Victories in the Battle for Congress

" The First Elections shatters the myth that American political parties first took shape during the Jacksonian era. By closely analyzing elections in the House of Representatives, Dow convincingly demonstrates that a vibrant party system took shape in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. An engaging study that draws on the work of historians and political scientists, the book is a must-read for anyone interested in the origins and evolution of American political practices."— David W. Houpt , author of To Organize the Sovereign People: Political Mobilization in Revolutionary Pennsylvania

"Political science scholarship has told us for many years that competitive two-party activity drives voter turnout upward, but these scholarly accounts tend to neglect elections in the early American republic. Jay Dow’s manuscript reveals that indeed the same rule applies to the United States’ first three decades of existence. Dow shows us that the roots of Jacksonian politics preceded Andrew Jackson himself."— Donald A. Zinman , author of America’s First Wartime Election: James Madison, DeWitt Clinton, and the War of 1812

Jay K. Dow is professor of political science and constitutional democracy at the University of Missouri. He is the author of Electing the House: The Adoption and Performance of the U.S. Single-Member District Electoral System , also from Kansas.