1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:06,800 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey y'all, I'm Eves and welcome to This 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:10,039 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, where we uncover a new layer 4 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:23,919 Speaker 1: of history every day. Today is March one. The day 5 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 1: was March first. Congress authorized the first Census of the 6 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:34,880 Speaker 1: entire United States. Among other provisions, Article one, Section two 7 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: of the U. S Constitution required the federal government to 8 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 1: conduct a survey of the U. S population every ten years. 9 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: That way, Congress could determine how many representatives would come 10 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: from each state and how federal resources would be divided 11 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 1: among states. The Census Act passed during the second session 12 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: of the First Congress and was signed by President George 13 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: Washington on March one. See The Act called for the 14 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:05,040 Speaker 1: omission of Native Americans who were not taxed. It called 15 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 1: for marshals to distinguish free people from everyone else, and 16 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 1: to distinguish the sex and color of free people. The 17 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:16,319 Speaker 1: Act provided for the census, or enumeration as it called it, 18 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: to begin on the first Monday in August and end 19 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 1: within nine calendar months. As planned, the first Census began 20 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 1: on August second, seventeen ninety. The census was conducted in 21 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: the original thirteen states, as well as the districts of Kentucky, Maine, Vermont, 22 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: and the Southwest Territory or present day Tennessee. Because Vermont 23 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: was not admitted to the Union until March of seventeen 24 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: ninety one, the census didn't take place there until after 25 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: it became a state that year. The process was supervised 26 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: by the marshals of the judicial districts, and they hired 27 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 1: assistant marshals to act as census takers. There were seventeen 28 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: marshals in an estimated six d and fifty assistant marshals. 29 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:03,920 Speaker 1: The assistant marshals made two copies of the returned survey, 30 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: one to post in the neighborhood for public knowledge and 31 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: another given to the marshal to be forwarded to the president. 32 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 1: The census included six questions, the name of the head 33 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 1: of the household, as well as the number of people 34 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 1: in each household who fit into five categories. Those categories 35 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 1: were free white males aged sixteen and older, free white 36 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: males under age sixteen, free white females, all other free people, 37 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 1: and slaves. According to the U. S. Sences Bureau, the 38 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 1: distinction of the age of free white males was to 39 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 1: quote assess the country's industrial and military potential. SENCEUS takers 40 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 1: determined the race of the people they counted. They did 41 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: that by considering how people were viewed in their community 42 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:52,919 Speaker 1: or based on ideas about so called black blood. Enslaved 43 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:55,920 Speaker 1: people were counted as three fifths of a person, and 44 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:00,120 Speaker 1: Native Americans weren't counted until eighteen seventy. The category of 45 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 1: mulatta was added in eighteen fifty, and other multi racial 46 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 1: categories were added in later years. People could choose their 47 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: own race starting in nineteen sixty. The total population based 48 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: on the seventeen nineties senses was counted as three point 49 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: nine million non Native American people. That number included around 50 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 1: seven hundred thousand enslaved people. Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson 51 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:30,399 Speaker 1: and other officials believed that number was too low. There 52 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: were people who opposed the census for religious reasons or 53 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: because they thought it was related to increasing taxation. The 54 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 1: cost of the entire senses came in at forty four thousand, 55 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: three hundred and seventy seven dollars seventeen ninety. Census records 56 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: from several states have since been lost, possibly destroyed. When 57 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:51,680 Speaker 1: the British burned the capital in Washington during the War 58 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,760 Speaker 1: of eighteen twelve. I'm Eve Jeff Coode. Hopefully you know 59 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 1: a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 60 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: If there's something I missed in the show today, you 61 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: can let us know at t D I h C 62 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 1: Podcast on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. You can also email 63 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 1: us at this Day at I heart media dot com. 64 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:19,080 Speaker 1: I truly hope you enjoyed today's show. We'll be back 65 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:24,919 Speaker 1: tomorrow with another episode. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, 66 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 67 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:28,839 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.