logo
Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Was splitting the Dakota territory into two states part of a Republican push to build an electoral advantage?

By Jacqueline Agustin
YES

In the 1888 election, Republicans won control of the presidency and both houses of Congress (they lost the popular presidential vote). Throughout the 1880s they had pressed for statehood in the northern tier of territories stretching to the Pacific, expecting enduring gains in the Senate and the Electoral College from their Republican-leaning residents. Before leaving office in early 1889, Democratic president Grover Cleveland yielded, signing legislation dividing the Territory of Dakota into two and paving the way to statehood for both the north and the south, as well as two additional states.

Under his successor, Benjamin Harrison, North and South Dakota became the 39th and 40th states. Republicans picked up all four new Senate seats, as well as seats in nearby states. During Harrison's single term the U.S. added six new states, five of which remain Republican strongholds.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
FACT BRIEF BY
facebook
twitter
email
email