Students will analyze excerpts from the 1790 legislation that allowed for the administration of the first decennial census and from the congressional debate on the matter to increase their understanding of the political, economic, and social changes that took place after the American Revolution. They will also use this context to consider the challenges of collecting census data today.
11-12
45-60 minutes
The following items are part of this activity. Items, their sources, and instructions for viewing them online appear at the end of this teacher version.
Students will understand some of the challenges of running a centralized government.
High School History