This shows a comparison of cotton production in 1860 (the black dots) and Obama voters in 2008 (the blue sections.) (You can click on the map to go to the site with all the details.)
Now, the first thing that came to my mind (after wow- that's WEIRD) is WHO DID THIS?
Who was sitting around at home in the days after the election and said "hmmm ... why, that voter distribution map reminds me of something .... I know, it was cotton production in 1875. No, wait, 1850. No, I've got it!!! It's 1860! YES!"
OK, as I wrote that scenario I realized it's most likely a graduate student researching the effects of the cotton industry on south-eastern states. Not so weird after all.
But still. Without the internet, YOU AND I would not be able to share in this amazing bit of trivia.
1 comment:
Or, it overlaying people voting for Obama and areas where there may have been higher concentrations of slave owners (high cotton production = farms needing slave labor).
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