mierra

Mierra Isaac


When reading the article, “Methods of Apportionment,” there were some methods that I fully

agreed with and there were some that I didn’t agree with, although, none of the methods satisfy

all requirements listed in the Rules for US Representatives. I agreed with Jefferson and

Webster’s method because they were less confusing and made more sense in the mathematical

sense of politics. Jefferson method,which was used by the US Congress starting in 1791 through

1842, states that “the higher the ratio, the more deserving the state is to get a representative.”

Jefferson's method was later replaced with Webster's method in 1842. This method makes a lot

more sense than Hamilton’s method, in which I disagree with. Webster’s method,which

was used in was 1842 through 1852, was adopted by the Congress, and then later replaced by

Alexander Hamilton's method. Webster's method was similar to Jefferson’s method, which

states that “if a fractional remainder were greater than one-half, another seat would be

assigned,” in which Jefferson’s did not. The reason why I agree with Webster’s method, as well

as Jefferson’s is because, to me, it makes more logical sense and it’s much easier to calculate how
many states a representative should have based on population, if I were to use the formula for a

math or science project.