Census Time

Yesterday I spoke to the meeting of the Dorcheat Bistineau Chapter of the DAR on the topic, "The 1900 Census of Minden." The point of my talk was about how the Population Schedules of the Census provide a wonderful snapshot of life in a community at a given moment at time. By examining the information contained on those schedules one can gain great insight into the life of a community. The demographic profile -- age, race, national origin -- allows you to get an idea of "who" the people of the town were. The economic information, including the various types of jobs and the number in each field, can give you an idea of how the people lived and in the older schedules that included measures of personal wealth a gauge of the prosperity of the town and its residents.

However, part of my talk dealt with the upcoming 2010 Census -- actually the blanks are "in the mail" so I guess upcoming is an incorrect characterization -- and the slight air of controversy surrounding the process among some conservatives. Within the past two weeks I have seen comments posted on the Internet by several conservatives from this area indicating they are not going to return their Census blanks. I have heard Moon Griffon suggest to his listeners that they just tell how many people live in their home and no more. (I don't have my blank in hand, but from what I can gather the form really asks little more than that basic information.)

I'm not here to fight that political battle, my view of government and its role gives me no problem with supplying information to my goverment; however, I do understand how those who are fearful or distrust government might not want to provide such data. The interesting thing to me is how the information collected by the Census has varied over time, and not necessarily in line with the seeming political trends of the nation. As I tell my American History students, no one can deny that the power and the instrusion of the Federal government into the life of its citizens has dramatically increased over time. I suggest that prior to the 20th Century, outside of the U.S. Mail, few Americans ever dealt directly with the Federal Government or its agents. Today, if one merely goes to work as a wage earner, the IRS is withholding potential taxes from you every second of your working day. The increased contact with the Federal government saw its beginnings with the Progressive movement of the early 20th century that led to the income tax, waxed with the coming of the New Deal and in the last half of the 20th Century mushroomed.

Yet, the Census didn't exactly follow that pattern. From 1790 through 1840, the Census Population Schedules worked at the household level, rather than the individual level. In the Schedules one finds the name of the head of household and the other members are merely identified by numbers in a chart categorized according to age and gender. Slaves are also counted merely by number.

In 1850, still in the era of "small" Federal Government, the Census switched to the individual level. All household members are listed by name and much more personal information is included. During the years from 1850 - 1930 at various times the schedule will tell you age, gender, race, marital status, years married, number of children born, number of children who are still alive, place of birth, place of parents birth, occupation, employer, home ownership, years of schooling, literacy, whether or not the person fought for the Confederacy, amount of personal property, amount of real estate, number of slaves, street address of residence, and -- in the 1930 Census -- whether or not the household owned a radio. It is true that in the recent past, as our concerns about privacy have grown, the Census more and more only requires the bare minimums on the form that contains personal information. The other data is obtained from scientific data methods that do not include names.

As we prepare to answer the Census this year, and I hear folks objecting to even providing their name and household members, I wonder how was it possible that once citizens willingly provided details of their personal wealth on the Census, with apparently little question of how the government might use that information. So. as a historical researcher who has spent hundreds or perhaps thousands of hours straining to read Census schedules and who is anxiously awating the 2012 release of the 1940 Census (Population Schedules are sealed for 72 years)  to see what info it will reveal, I hope all of you will at least include the basic information requested by the Census this year, for the sake of the researchers of 2110.