What did the 1790 census show?

The first U.S. Census was conducted in 1790. The census categorized the population of the new nation according to liberty, sex, and age: free white males age 16 and older, free white males under age 16, free white females, all other free people, and slaves.

Why was the 1790 census important?

The 1790 census was the first federally sponsored count of the American people. One of the most significant undertakings of George Washington’s first term as president, the census fulfilled a constitutional mandate and was interpreted by many as evidence of national prosperity and progress.

Is the 1790 census online?

The National Archives has the census schedules on microfilm available from 1790 to 1940, and online access is available through our digitization partners (free at any National Archives facility).

How was the census completed in 1790?

The law required that every household be visited, that completed census schedules be posted in “two of the most public places within [each jurisdiction], there to remain for the inspection of all concerned…” and that “the aggregate amount of each description of persons” for every district be transmitted to the …

What year did the US start the census?

July 1, 1902
United States Census Bureau/Founded

What is the main purpose of a census?

The census asks questions of people in homes and group living situations, including how many people live or stay in each home, and the sex, age and race of each person. The goal is to count everyone once, only once, and in the right place.

What happened to the 1790 census?

Although the census was proved statistically factual, based on data collected, the records for several states (including Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey, and Virginia) were lost sometime between 1790 and 1830. Almost one third of the original census data have been lost or destroyed since their original documentation.

Why did they start the census?

The censuses were initially conducted partly to ascertain the number of men able to fight in the Napoleonic Wars, and partly over population concerns stemming from the 1798 work An Essay on the Principle of Population by Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus.

How does census affect me?

Your community benefits the most when the census counts everyone. The results also inform how federal funding is allocated to more than 100 programs, including Medicaid, Head Start, block grant programs for community mental health services, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP.

What information does the census collect?

In most countries, people are counted in their place of usual residence. The Measure Evaluation document outlines the types of data collected in the census: Basic population characteristics including age, sex, marital status, household composition, family characteristics, and household size.

What did the census of 1790 ask of people?

Enumeration. The six inquiries in 1790 called for the name of the head of the family and the number of persons in each household of the following descriptions: Free White males of 16 years and upward (to assess the country’s industrial and military potential)

What was the population of New York in 1790?

First, the populations of New York’s “free white males of 16 years and up” (83,700) and “free white males under 16 years” (78,122) were added. Then, that number (161,822) was divided by New York’s total population (340,120). What do you think “all other free persons” meant to Census-takers in 1790?

What was the population of Maine in 1790?

This was calculated by dividing the number of “free white females” in Maine (46,870) by Maine’s total population (96,540). What is the difference between the number of states with a greater population of “free white males 16 years and up” and “free white males under 16 years”? Just two. This was calculated in three parts.

When was the first census in the United States?

Census Day was August 2, 1790. The first census began more than a year after the inauguration of President Washington and shortly before the second session of the first Congress ended.