Ethno-Cultural Interpretations of Nineteenth-Century American Voting Behavior

Abstract

Beginning in the early 196os, and especially within the past half-dozen years, historians have offered strong evidence that the most important determinants of voting behavior in the American past have been the ethnic and religious identifications of citizens. Indeed, an ethno-cultural school of American political history has emerged, and its members have produced an impressive body of historical research and writing.1 In search of a grass-roots understanding of past politics, the ethno-culturalists have applied quantitative methods and behavioral theory to the political history of the United States. They have studied the complex relations between local and national orientations in politics, between leaders and masses, and between economic and cultural issues. More broadly, they have asked and answered questions about political salience: What are the sources of voter motivation? How do issues become politicized?