The 1860 U.S. Census might be one of the most emotionally charged documents in early American history. On the surface, it looks similar to 1850—names, ages, occupations, birthplaces, property values...
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Inside the 1850 Census
By the time the 1850 U.S. Census was taken, the United States was no longer a slow-growing collection of coastal settlements. It was a booming, restless, coast-to-coast land of contradictions. The...
Inside the 1840 Census
The 1840 U.S. Census might be early American recordkeeping’s most overlooked turning point. It still looks like the older ones—just one name listed, a page full of tick marks, and plenty of...
Inside the 1830 Census
By 1830, the United States had reached a new kind of maturity. For some, the Revolution was no longer in living memory, though a surprising number of veterans were still alive and tucked into...
Inside the 1820 Census
The 1820 U.S. Census rolled out during what historians often call the “Era of Good Feelings”—a peaceful name for a time that was anything but simple. The War of 1812 had ended just a few...
Inside the 1810 Census
In 1810, the United States was only 34 years into its existence and was still figuring things out—including how to count its people. That year marked just the third official census, and while the...