7. The Districts
Each and every district had its own industry as well as political setup. How each of them were put together helps explain the events that would occur later in Panem's history.
District One - Artisan Crafting/Luxury
"District 1 makes the luxury goods...Its excellent taste and craftmanship keep...residents bewigged and bedazzled year-round."
District One's industry was Artisan Crafting, though we always consider it to be Luxury. A difference between then and now is that One's products were sold all over the nation. After the Dark Days, until recently, One's goods were only produced for sales in the Capitol.
The district is located very close to the Capitol, which explains their nearly friendly relations with it until the Mockingjay Rebellion.
The citizens of Panem, during the early stages of the enforcement of the Thirteen District Act, emigrated to the district that met their general job prefrences, so most of the artistic and creative Americans moved to One.
Other than just the luxury items, District One has and still shows a great appreciation for the arts: music (instrumental and vocal), visual art, dance, theatre, etc. The largest music institution of Panem existed in One until it was unfortunately demolished in a Capitol bombing during the MJ Rebellion. The school was named the Warren Monocelli Institute of Music, due to the fact former President Romulus Peace was very skilled at the piano and violin, even though his technological achievements caught historian attention more often. Most of Panem's musicians were brought in from that facility, while the rest came from the University of Panem.
District One's governmental setup was nearly the same as any state legislator had prior to the Thirteen District Act. Mayor (which held a similar job as the governor did), legislator (District One Senate and House of Representatives), and local governments that did not change at all. The split precincts for federal Senate elections in One were decided to be with the district split in equal parts.
District Two - Masonry
"Our nation would be nothing without District 2's superb stonework. It builds and fortifies our cities, and its citizens are known individually for their strength."
District Two's industry was Masonry, mainly, until after the Dark Days, when the Capitol enforced the training of the military force in one of Two's mountains. Masonry meant crafting of tools and necessary items, mainly from stone or iron ore, which were mined from the quarries in the mountains that were apparent around the district. The people of Two tended to be the most in shape and fit, due to the fact that large stones are heavy.
The masonry was especially crucial in building up the new type of society that Panem was forming into. Most of the buildings in the Capitol now would not exist without the people of Two, as neither would any of the districts' main buildings. Most construction workers have been recruited from the district.
Even prior to the Hunger Games and the training of Peacekeepers in the district, residents of Two tended to respect honor and courage. This would help shape the district into what it was for the past 75 years of the Games, only wanting to win for honor, not personal gain.
The government of Two was dictated solely by an elected Mayor and his/her group of officials and advisors. The President's Advising Council would watch over the Mayor to make sure he/she didn't infringe on any rights. The Capitol had the power to eliminate him/her if they overstepped their boundaries (That was true for all thirteen districts. This was an amendment to the CCA). The precincts were based on the populations of towns and cities, so that all people had a say in the Capitol's government. The populations would end up being nearly equal in all the precincts.
District Three - Technology
"Panem is one of the most advanced nations in mankind's histort, thanks to the efforts of District computers keep us all connected, and its electronic gadgets keep us all entertained."
District Three's industry was Technology, the production and design of most of the software we use today. They utilized the best technology already in existence from corporations like Apple, Inc., which was located in Three until the Dark Days, and helped improve things for technological use. This included video games, computers, television software, cameras, etc. Three's best scientists were the ones recruited to break through President Peace's firewall, but they still have yet to determine the code.
The people of Three are very intelligent and logical, while keeping high morality in their views.
The government in Three was an elected Mayoral Group. There were seven Mayors and no law could go through without a consensus. Plus, then there was the District Three Constitutional Court to go through. The precincts were the same as District Two's.
District Four - Fishing
"Often overlooked, District 4 plays an essential role, bringing us the bounty of the sea. These citizens are adept with nets and tridents, and can swim like fish themselves."
District Four's industry was Fishing. Yes, they were fishermen/women. The climate was generally tropical with beaches, due to the area the district was placed.
Fisheries and fishing rod shops were already available in the area prior to the district existing, and with the sea, the location was very ideal. The people of Four are very skilled swimmers and, because of the patience required for fishing, the people are very strategic.
The government of Four was a Mayor with no official power, with all proceedings being decided in a district-wide vote. The people would rally at the Justice Building and the Mayor would act as a chairperson, having no real authority. This was only in district matters, all federal matters were still done by electing officials to office. There were 10 cities in the district and each were a separate precinct.
District Five - Power
"Electric, solar, and nuclear - District 5 harnesses the energy of the earth and the sky in order to power our great nation."
District Five's industry was Power, aka electricity. The power plants, solar, wind, or nuclear, were stationed in the district. The Illuminating Company, the only electric company to accept the CCA, was moved to the center of the district. With the nationwide electrical power grid, there was no electric bill. The people of five are silent, manipulative people, due to working constantly with wires and the slow pace required for it.
The government of Five was a Mayor and a representative from each precinct, which were similar to Four, except there were five cities split into two precincts determined by the city's population. The representatives were elected democratically, as was the Mayor.
District Six - Transportation
"Our hovercraft, our high-speed trains, and our cargo trains come to us from District 6."
District Six's industry was Transportation, and no, not being a subway or transport station, but the industry of creating the vehicles used in all forms of tranportation, from hovercrafts to trains. Even cars in the Capitol come from Six. Ford Motor Company became the backbone for Six until the Dark Days. The people are tough and resilient, and know how to fight easily, even though the right to bear arms was revoked before the Dark Days.
The government of Six was a Mayor in complete control, in writing. He/she was democratically elected and every law brought up had to be voted upon by the entire voting population of the district, just a slight alteration of Four's government. Precincts, strangely, were never mapped out by the Department of District Elections in the Capitol until a month after the beginning of the Dark Days. It was odd, because of how Six was arranged, so the senators had to be elected directly by everybody, different from every district except Nine.
District Seven - Lumber
"This beautfiul district is lush with trees, from which these citizens supply our lumber and paper. The people of District 7 are hardworking and down-to-earth."
District Seven's industry was Lumber. This was due to the extense amount of forestry within district borders. This helped maunfacture anything wooden, and the most obvious, paper. The people of Seven were claimed to be down-to-earth by the Capitol, but that was far from true. All it takes is one look at Hunger Games victor Johanna Mason to know that. They are hard workers, but they all act like complete badasses, which most of them are. It is a surprise that Seven had the second lowest amount of victors in Games history, with Twelve topping that list, because the ability to use an ax and chop down, well a freaking tree, is pretty physically demanding. The people of Seven are known as the "Daredevils of Panem" to most of the other districts.
The government of Seven, or well, the anarchy of Seven was reflected in their people. The Mayor had no power, his council was afraid of the people. They got the workload done and didn't break any Capitol laws, so what was the fear of? An uprising or usurption of power? Yes and No. The government of Seven was weak. The Capitol was unaware of how the government of Seven corrupted fast by the mob, and how quickly the people rose up against the group and demanded that the mob be jailed forever. The government in Seven, until the Hunger Games era, was too afraid of the people. The precincts were the same as Five, and when it came to the Capitol, Seven was fine. But, the legislators would never back down from an argument in the Senate. Voting went smoothly, and police never understood the whole awkward situation.
Let's just say Seven has been an interesting district...
District Eight - Textiles
"From the simple, lovely fabrics of the districts to the beautiful brocades favored in the Capitol, District 8 makes it all."
District Eight's industry was Textile Production aka clothing and anything that involved fabric. The clothes in the Capitol and the generic clothing of the districts were made in Eight. Even the police and SWAT team, later Peacekeepers, uniforms were created here. Eight was probably the most down-to-earth district, with very calm people. Until the Dark Days, the people were very pacifistic in nature. They were even educated that in school. The Dark Days had a "last straw" kind of thing attached to it.
The government of Eight was identical to One, except with three legistlative houses: the Eight Committee, the Eight House of Delegation, and the Eight Senate. Laws were very challenging to pass, especially because of the pacifistic nature of a lot of legislators. The Mayor was the head of the House of Delegation, and ruled over multiple district Senate meetings. Even the precincts were similar to District One's.
District Nine - Grain
"District 9 is Panem's bread bowl, giving us the fertile harvest we need to keep rising as a nation. Its amber waves of grain are an inspiration to us all."
District Nine's industry was Grain development. They created bread materials for bread and desserts. The bakeries in Nine were desirable places to eat prior to the closing of the borders by President Ariann Fuler. The people were very patrioric, and even in the Mockingjay Rebellion, Nine was a quiet district, even when compared to Two.
The government of Nine was a Mayor, his council, and nine delegated personnel elected by the people. The number of delegates was intended. The delegates ran the district. They were the ones in contact with the Department of Resources, unlike the Mayor in most of the other districts, and they always mingled with the public. Public policy would have been very low if it wasn't for the delegates. As it was in Six, Nine was never decided were the precincts would be located. As the Capitol won the Dark Days, the Department of District Elections finally decided what they would be, only to be dismantled by the Capitol prior to executing the lines. So, all senators were voted on directly.
District Ten - Livestock
"The gentle lowing of cattle is the first thing a visitor to District 10 hears. This region raises string, healthy livestock, which becomes the meat that helps us raise strong, helthy children of Panem."
District Ten's industry was Livestock. They were farmers that took care of the dairy and the beef that was consumed by most of the populace. The Ten Cheese was the best cheese ever tasted around the world, as stated at the first United Nations summit that the new government of Panem attended. The people of Ten are gracious farmers that know their boundaries, but protect each other and their property. This was the district with the least amount of Peacekeeper abuse.
The government of Ten was a board of farmers, and the Mayor. The farmers were chosen by experience and knowledge of basic political procedure, as set forth by the Capitol in the Thirteen District Act bill. The farmers were chosen by the public, but most of them did not run, but were chosen only. The precincts were decided by how many farms were in a certain area. Most senators, like that farmers on the board, were chosen to run, not by their own decision. It was considered courtesy to accept the offer.
District Eleven - Agriculture
"Known for its bountiful orchards, District 11's workers spend their days among rustling fruit trees and sizable farms."
District Eleven's industry was Agriculture, specifically any produce that wasn't grain which was in Nine. The fruits and orchards were the best that Panem could produce in terms of food, and I mean the best. They were healthy, pletniful, and tasty. Capitol and district citizen alike enjoy fruit from Eleven. The people of Eleven are selfless and never wish to owe a debt to someone, when they could be doing nice things for people without needing to pay them back. Just for the record, Eleven is the most populated district in Panem.
The government was a General Assembly, and three Mayors, until after the Dark Days. The General Assembly consisted of nearly half the population, which still never made a dent in the workforce. The precincts were based off of the multiple orchards around the district. There were twenty well known orchards, so two were always divided into one precinct.
District Twelve - Coal Mining
"One of the outer districts, this is nonetheless a crucial one. These brave and hardy workers descend deep into the earth each day to mine the coal that keeps our nation running."
District Twelve's industry was Coal Mining. Even though the nation pulled itself off of fossil fuels, coal was still considered a necessity. The people of Twelve were fearless, but not risk-takers like people in Seven were. Similar to Eleven, people of Twelve never wanted to owe a debt to somebody. They always made it up to someone in someway.
The government of Twelve was a Mayor and a Senate. The Senate consisted of five people from each precinct and the Mayor was elected from the 50 senators every new session. The precincts were put with every coal mine, and the federal senators were always the "battlemen" in debate. District Twelve is currently being rebuilt from its post-Quarter Quell destruction. I know that isn't history pending at this point, but I feel it is necessary to point out since the district levelled not too long ago...
President Coriolanus Snow would refer to District Twelve as the "babied district".
District Thirteen - Graphite Mining (and Nuclear Development)
"The miners of District 13 descend into graphite mines to give us materials that help our technology run smoother, and our education system sharp." -Before Dark Days
District Thirteen's indutries were Graphite Mining and Nuclear Development. Outside of Thirteen and the Capitol, only the graphite mines were known about. The existence of the nuclear program in the district was so classified outside of it, that the crime for attempting to disclose the information was punished with life in prison without parole, and every prisoner informed was stirpped of the memory of being informed it. This was very controversial to citizens of Thirteen and they petitioned for that to be removed, only for the Senate to approve it and the President to throw it in the trash. The Capitol Supreme Court cornered him for it and he extended the suspension of the Court indefinitely, which began a major power struggle in Panem (see next chapter). The Senate was too afraid of being dismantled to attack him for those moves.
The people of Thirteen were very donw-to-earth, strong, and intelligent. This would play a major role later in history.
The government of Thirteen, due to the confidentiality of the nuclear program, was setup by the Capitol. The Mayor was chosen from a Panel of Directors, all of which were elected by the Senate in the Capitol. The people could vote on laws, but they had no say on who ran the district. The precincts were only located in the graphite mine areas, though all people go to vote. Only, nuclear scientists were not allowed to work in the government or even attempt to run.
"The ruins of the traitorous District 13 are a reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated. The area is still smoking and dangerous from the bombings." -After Dark Days
I will not cover much about District Thirteen after the Dark Days for now. Once I begin covering the war, I will explain what happens to the district.
The districts of the nation of Panem were the building blocks of the entire Capitol infrastructure. Without them, the system would collapse, due to the Thirteen District Act. Once the Capitol overstepped its bounds, only a matter of time was needed. President Edwin Morris began, near the end of his term, to extend the power of the Capitol more than was ever intended.
Note: Except for 13's entries, all of the quotes are from The Hunger Games Tribute Guide that Scholastic sold during the release of the movie for the first book. I only created the quotes for District Thirteen. And, District Seven was...interesting, so to say, to write LOL. Now, we finish up Morris's presidency so that, when the next President comes, we can get to the most interesting part of the Hunger Games world, the Dark Days. Please review!