Facts by Decade

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Facts by Decade

Censuses are not conducted in a vacuum. They occur amidst internal and external crisis, shifts in cultural interests, and events that become "defining moments" for each generation. Census data reflect the growth of the population as well as the changing values and interests of the American people.

Fast Facts provides a portrait of the United States both statistically and culturally. In addition to census-related statistics, the innovations, events, and icons of each decade are highlighted. Each page illustrates the thought and culture of the population counted during each decade's census.

1840

ICONS: Samuel Morse's Telegraph, Frederick Douglass, Sewing Machine

Population

17,063,353	U.S. Resident Population
9.8	Population per square mile of land area
32.7	Percent increase of population from 1830 to 1840
26	Number of States

10 Largest Urban Places

Rank	Place	Population
1	New York City, NY	312,710
2	Baltimore, MD	102,313
3	New Orleans, LA	102,193
4	Philadelphia, PA	93,665
5	Boston, MA	93,383
6	Cincinnati, OH	46,338
7	Brooklyn, NY	36,233
8	Northern Liberties District, PA	34,474
9	Albany, NY	33,721
10	Charleston, SC	29,261

The 1840 Census

Cost	$833,000
Cost per Capita (cents)	4.9
Total Pages in Published Reports	1,465
Number of Enumerators	2,167 (28 office staff)
Census Bureau Director	William Augustus Weaver
Number of Questions on the Questionnaire	12
Number of Questions on the Long Form	N/A

Pop Culture

Captain Charles Wilkes circumnavigates Antarctica, claiming it for the United States on January 19, 1840.
William Henry Harrison wins the 1840 presidential election, defeating incumbent Martin Van Buren.
The August 9, 1842, Webster-Ashburton Treaty formally designates the border separating the United States and Canada.
On May 24, 1844, Samuel B. Morse sends the message, "What hath God wrought" over the first telegraph line from Washington, DC, to Baltimore, MD.
Ireland's "Potato Famine" results in an influx of Irish immigrants to the United States beginning in 1845.
Alexander Cartwright and his New York Knickerbockers codify the "Rules of Baseball" in 1845.
Frederick Douglass publishes Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave in 1845.
Elias Howe patents the sewing machine on September 10, 1846.
During the February 22-23, 1847, Battle of Buena Vista, General Taylor's U.S. Army of 4800 men defeats Mexico's 15,000-man force lead by General Santa Anna.
The American Medical Association is founded in Philadelphia on May 7, 1847.
On January 24, 1848, James Marshall discovers gold near Sutter's Fort, California. The discovery of gold is the beginning of the California Gold Rush of 1849.
The 1849 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican-American War. In exchange for $15 million and settling $3.25 million in American claims, Mexico cedes approximately 500,000 square miles of territory in the western and southwestern United States.
Elizabeth Blackwell receives the first medical degree awarded to a woman on January 23, 1849, from the Medical Institute of Geneva, NY.
Henry David Thoreau publishes "Resistance to Civil Government," later known as "Civil Disobedience," in 1849.