The original purpose of Gerrymandering was not to enhance the voting power of minorities, it was to game elections.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering

Black majority electorates came decades after Gerrymandering.

Not a bad article though.

+1.

Also, while gerrymandering is indeed an abhorrent practice, its not clear it actually leads, in aggregate, to more extreme politicians. Gerrymandering is a delicate balance, and is often designed to create "just safe enough" seats (rule of thumb is 55% projected support), which, it turns out, are rarely safe at the margins in tumultuous times.

Indeed, its unclear that gerrymandering is hampering the ability of voters to change their minds. The last 3 elections have all led to historic upheaval, +30D, +23D, and -44R.

Thanks for the heads-up. I didn't know that Gerrymandering had not-so-pure origins. Maybe I'll remove that example from the article.

EDIT: Removed Gerrymandering example.