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An Analysis Of Voter Turnout In Cuyahoga County, 1840-1860, Jean M. Anderson

Honors Papers

Political historians have traditionally been more interested in leaders than followers. But with the emergence of the 'new' political history, American historians began to explore the party bases of the American political structure. Historians such as Lee Benson, Richard Jensen. Paul Kleppner, Samuel McSeveney, and Ronald Formisano have written case studies of major shifts in the political parties during the middle and late nineteenth century. According to their research, the roots of American political partisanship grew out of the diverse ethnic, cultural, and religious identities of the voting populace.

Benson's pathbreaking investigation of New York voters in the 1844 election …