The
United States Census of 1790 was the first
census conducted in the
United States. It recorded the population of the United States as of
Census Day, August 2, 1790, as mandated by Article I, Section 2 of the
United States Constitution and applicable laws. In the First Census, the population of the United States was enumerated to be 3,929,214.
Congress assigned responsibility for the 1790 census to the marshals of United States judicial districts under an act which, with minor modifications and extensions, governed census taking through 1840. The law required that every household be visited, that completed census schedules be posted in "two of the most public places within , 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
President of the United States.
Data
Census data included the name of the head of the family and categorized inhabitants as follows: free white males at least 16 years of age (to assess the country’s industrial and military potential), free white males under 16 years of age, free white females, all other free persons (reported by sex and color), and slaves. Under the direction of the current
Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, marshals...
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