1790 United States Census

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/1790-united-states-census

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the year of first census?1790
2. What is the total population recorded?3,929,214
3. Why did the U.S. Constitution require a census every ten years?The Constitution said the census would be done within three years of the first Congress and then every ten years, so that each state could share taxes fairly and choose the right number of representatives.
4. How did people get counted in the 1790 census?Local officials, like sheriffs, went door‑to‑door to visit homes, asking about everyone living there, but it was hard because roads were few and some people were far away.

Apportionment: The process of dividing legislative seats among states based on population.
Enumeration: The act of officially counting or listing items or people.
Suffrage: The right to vote in political elections.
Decennial: Happening once every ten years.