Internal Boundaries Chapter Notes | AP Human Geography - Grade 9 PDF Download

Introduction

This chapter notes examines internal boundaries and their role in shaping political and electoral landscapes, with a focus on the United States' voting districts. It explores how these boundaries are created, their significance, and the processes like redistricting and gerrymandering that influence political representation. The chapter also highlights the impact of the census and various factors, such as geography and culture, in defining internal divisions.

What is an Internal Boundary?

• An internal boundary is a line or border that segments a larger area or entity into smaller, distinct units. These boundaries appear in various contexts, such as geographic regions, political divisions, or organizational structures.
• For instance, an internal boundary might separate a country into states or provinces, or divide a city into neighborhoods or districts. Within an organization, an internal boundary could delineate different departments or divisions.
• Internal boundaries help define and differentiate smaller units within a larger entity, contributing to their unique identity and character.

How are Internal Boundaries Created?

• Internal boundaries are established for diverse reasons, and their creation process varies by context. 
• Common methods include:
  • Political decisions: Internal boundaries are frequently created through political actions, such as legislation or executive orders. For example, a government may enact laws to establish new states, provinces, or city districts.
  • Historical or cultural factors: Historical events or cultural differences, such as longstanding divisions or the presence of distinct ethnic or linguistic groups, can shape internal boundaries.
  • Physical geography: Natural features like rivers, mountains, or other landmarks often serve as the basis for internal boundaries.
  • Organizational needs: Within organizations like businesses or nonprofits, internal boundaries may be created to enhance efficiency, divide labor, or streamline decision-making processes.
• It’s important to note that internal boundaries can be sources of contention, and their creation or modification often involves negotiation and potential conflict.

Examples of Internal Boundaries

Here are several examples of internal boundaries:

• The Great Wall of China: This series of fortifications, built over more than 2,000 years, protected the Chinese empire from nomadic invaders, serving as an internal boundary separating China from the northern steppes.
• The border between the United States and Mexico: Established in the 19th century through treaties, this border acts as an internal boundary dividing the two nations.
• The border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland: Created in the 1920s during Ireland’s partition, this boundary divides the two regions and has been a source of ongoing controversy and conflict.
• The boundary between departments within a company: Companies often divide their operations into departments, each responsible for specific functions, with boundaries defining these internal divisions.
• The border between neighborhoods within a city: Cities are frequently segmented into neighborhoods or districts, each with distinct characteristics, defined by internal boundaries.

Redistricting

Definition

Redistricting is the process of redrawing electoral district boundaries in a representative democracy. In the United States, state governments typically undertake this process after the decennial census to adjust the number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and realign legislative districts to reflect population changes. Redistricting significantly impacts the balance of political power within a state and can be a contentious and politicized process.

What is the Census?

• The census is a systematic process of collecting and analyzing data about a population, conducted by national governments to gather information on population size, composition, and distribution. It provides insights into demographics such as age, gender, race, income, and education, informing policy decisions, resource allocation, and future planning.
• Censuses are generally conducted every few years using methods like in-person visits, mailed or online surveys, or phone interviews. In some countries, participation is legally mandated, with penalties for non-compliance.

What Does this Do?

• The census, conducted every ten years, counts the population to guide the distribution of funding, resources, and the redrawing of electoral districts as needed. Although the U.S. House of Representatives is capped at 435 seats, voting districts within states must be roughly equal in population size. As populations shift, state legislatures redraw district lines through redistricting to accommodate these changes.
• In 1912, the number of representatives was fixed, meaning that despite the U.S. population tripling, representation has not increased. Each U.S. congressional representative now serves approximately 747,000 people, a much higher number than in many other countries.

Why is Redistricting Important?
Redistricting is conducted to account for population changes, ensuring that electoral districts have roughly equal populations. This promotes equal voter representation, ensuring each district’s voice is fairly represented in government.

Gerrymandering

Definition

• Gerrymandering is the manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor a specific political party or group. This is achieved by drawing boundaries to concentrate one group’s voters into a few districts while dispersing another group’s voters across many districts, reducing their electoral influence. Gerrymandering is widely regarded as undemocratic and has faced legal challenges in numerous countries.
• Redistricting can lead to significant manipulations, with gerrymandering being the most prominent example. Politicians use this tactic to entrench their power, often based on factors like race, voting patterns, or socioeconomic class.
• For instance, if a district has a large population of liberal Black voters, they might dominate elections over conservative White voters. By splitting the district through the Black population, two new districts could be created with majority White conservative voters, resulting in two conservative representatives in a predominantly liberal area.
• In Louisiana, for example, the cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans, with significant Black populations, are affected by gerrymandering. The 6th District is drawn to include wealthy, White neighborhoods around these cities, while Black communities are placed in the 2nd District, which is predominantly liberal. This ensures the 6th District remains Republican, while the 2nd is the only reliably Democratic district. Different boundary lines could make both districts predominantly Democratic.

Why is Gerrymandering Important?

• Gerrymandering is significant because it can skew the balance of political power within a state or country. 
• By altering district boundaries, parties can secure a disproportionate number of seats, even without majority voter support, undermining the democratic process and the legitimacy of elected governments.

Types of Gerrymandering
There are five types of gerrymandering, often remembered by their rhyming names: cracking, packing, stacking, hijacking, and kidnapping.

• Cracking involves splitting a group of voters across multiple districts to dilute their voting strength. 
• Packing concentrates similar voters into one district to minimize their influence in others, as seen in Louisiana. 
• Stacking combines minority voting groups with higher-turnout majority groups to reduce the minority’s electoral power. 
• Hijacking redraws districts to force two representatives from the same party to compete against each other. 
• Kidnapping shifts a supported elected official into a district where they lack support through redistricting.

Summary of Gerrymandering Types
Common methods of gerrymandering include:

• Cracking: Dividing a voter group across multiple districts to weaken their electoral influence.
• Packing: Concentrating a voter group into a single district to limit their impact on surrounding districts.
• Stacking: Creating districts with a slim majority of one voter group alongside a larger number of minority voters from that group, reducing their overall influence.
• Hijacking: Redrawing district boundaries to place a group of voters in a different district, altering election outcomes.
• Kidnapping: Shifting a group of voters into a district with a different representative through redistricting to change election results.

In summary, boundaries have consequences, both positive and negative. Dividing communities that share a language or religion can have negative impacts, while boundaries that resolve conflicts over land by satisfying both parties can be positive.

Key Terms

• Census: A census is a systematic process of gathering, analyzing, and interpreting demographic data about a population at a specific time, including details on age, gender, ethnicity, occupation, and housing, used to inform government policies, resource distribution, and community planning, particularly in shaping political districts.
• Cracking: Cracking is a redistricting strategy where electoral district boundaries are drawn to disperse a demographic group’s voters across multiple districts, diluting their voting power to favor a dominant political party.
• Cultural Factors: Cultural factors are shared beliefs, practices, values, and norms that shape societal behavior and interactions, influencing identities, social structures, and the geographic distribution of populations, impacting urban development and governance.
• Gerrymandering: Gerrymandering is the manipulation of electoral district boundaries to advantage a specific political party or group, often used during redistricting to skew political representation and power dynamics.
• Hijacking: Hijacking refers to the unlawful seizure of vehicles, aircraft, or other transport modes, often through force or threats, with implications for national security, travel regulations, and internal boundaries.
• Historical Factors: Historical factors are past events and influences that shape societies, cultures, and political boundaries, determining how borders are drawn, communities are divided, and resources are allocated.
• Internal Boundary: An internal boundary is a political or administrative line separating regions, districts, or subdivisions within a larger entity, influencing governance, resource allocation, and cultural distinctions.
• Kidnapping: Kidnapping is the unlawful abduction of a person by force or deception, often for ransom or other demands, violating personal autonomy and safety within internal boundaries.
• Organizational Needs: Organizational needs are the essential requirements and resources needed for a group or entity to function effectively, including human resources, infrastructure, and internal boundaries that shape operational efficiency.
• Organizational Structures: Organizational structures define how entities are arranged and managed, establishing roles, relationships, and internal boundaries to facilitate task allocation, coordination, and decision-making.
• Packing: Packing is a redistricting tactic that concentrates a specific voter group into one district to reduce their influence in surrounding districts, shaping electoral outcomes and political boundaries.
• Physical Geography: Physical geography studies the Earth’s natural features and processes, such as landforms, climate, and ecosystems, influencing human activities, resource distribution, and regional development.
• Political Divisions: Political divisions are the organizational units, such as states, provinces, or districts, that manage governance, administration, and representation within a territory, shaping power and resource distribution.
• Political Decisions: Political decisions are choices made by those in power that affect governance, policies, and resource allocation, shaping internal boundaries and relationships between political entities and their constituents.
• Redistricting: Redistricting is the process of redrawing electoral district boundaries to reflect population changes, ensuring fair representation, conducted every ten years after the census to adjust for demographic shifts.
• Stacking: Stacking involves organizing populations in urban areas or regions into layers based on socioeconomic status or ethnicity, leading to disparities in resource access and opportunities.