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Why does the government do a Census?
Why is the Census important?
The first United States Census was conducted in 1790. The population was 3.9 million. The Constitution required a census, in order to determine representation in the House of Representatives.
The United States had thirteen states in 1790. They were:
New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
Vermont, Maine, Tennessee, and Kentucky were also counted as districts.
Key facts:
The national population was 3.9 million
The largest state population was Virginia.
The largest city was Philadelphia
South Carolina had the highest percentage of slaves in 1790
Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont had no slaves in 1790
Slaves counted as three-fifths of a person, so they were tabulated separately
Western territories like Kentucky and Tennessee were growing very rapidly
About 18% of the people in the United States were slaves in 1790
Key cities in the new country included Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Charleston, and Baltimore.
A short film by Jeffrey Meyer, historian & librarian