COOPING Meaning and
Definition
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Cooping, in the context of historical crime, refers to a practice that dates back to the 19th century in the United States. It was a method of voter fraud and intimidation, often employed during elections. Cooping involved forcibly detaining individuals, usually vagrants or homeless people, and subjecting them to repeated voting at different polling stations under false identities.
The term "cooping" derives from the word "coop," meaning a small, confined space like a small room or cell. The detained individuals, known as "coopers," would be held in these coops, where they were coerced or physically abused to ensure their compliance. They were then sent out, directly or disguised, to vote multiple times in various locations, thereby inflating the number of votes cast in favor of a particular candidate or party.
Cooping was often associated with corrupt political machines and organized crime gangs, who would pay and coerce individuals into participating in these fraudulent acts. Victims of cooping would commonly be forcefully intoxicated to incapacitate them, and they would be threatened or harmed if they resisted voting in the desired way.
As democracy and electoral systems progressed, cooping diminished in significance, thanks to election reforms, stricter voter registration procedures, and stronger legal enforcement. It serves as an important reminder of the dark practices that existed in the early days of American democracy, and how individuals were exploited for political gain.
Top Common Misspellings for COOPING *
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Other Common Misspellings for COOPING
Etymology of COOPING
The term "cooping" originates from American English and has its roots in the underworld of 19th-century politics. The word "cooping" originally referred to a practice in which gangsters, known as "coopers" or "cooping bosses", would forcefully abduct innocent people and imprison them in order to manipulate their votes during elections. Victims would often be stuffed into cramped spaces, such as small rooms or barrels referred to as "coops", where they would be deprived of food, water, and sleep until they were coerced into repeatedly voting for a particular candidate. These captives would then be disguised in different clothes or disguises and directed to multiple polling stations to cast rigged votes. The term "cooping" eventually evolved to describe any kind of political corruption or manipulation involving coercion and fraud, even beyond the context of elections.
Similar spelling words for COOPING
- copying,
- coping saw,
- Scooping,
- cooking,
- Covington,
- cupping,
- cobbins,
- coping,
- Capping,
- looping,
- coppinger,
- Cooping,
- copenhagen,
- cooling,
- cowpens.
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