My Two Census

This is an interesting (and extremely simple) web site that displays what the “race question” on census forms has looked like since 1790. It’s definitely worth checking out: Racebox.org

Thanks to CNET News for this wonderful slideshow!

As the 2010 Census approaches, more and more questions are pouring in about the history of the decennial census –spanning  from the 1790 Census to the present. From the Census Bureau’s self-recorded history, we’d like to give a hat tip to Vector1media.com for highlighting the following points about the progression of  technology and the census:

1890 is the first year that census workers were given detailed maps to help complete their tasks, and it’s also the same year that an electric tabulating system was utilized for the count

1950 was the first time a computer was used to tabulate results, and it was also the first computer designed for civilian use

1960 was the first time that census results were digitally recorded (on magnetic tape)

1970 was the first time that census data products were made available digitally on magnetic tape.

1980 saw the creation of the State Data Center Program for easier access to digital data on computer tapes

1990 was the year that the Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER), computer-based maps, was introduced. It also was the first year that data was released on CD-ROM

2000 was when the Internet became the primary means of distributing Census data

2010 won’t include the “long form” because this more detailed collection has been converted to the ongoing American Community Survey

Additionally, the Census Bureau sent out a media advisory today with historical Census Bureau information. Enjoy it here:

1790
(See < http://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1790.html>
for more information)
– Census Day was Aug. 2 (the first Monday of the month).
– Six questions were asked.
– The census was conducted in the 13 original states as well as the
districts of Maine, Vermont, Kentucky and the Southwest Territory
(Tennessee).
– U.S. marshals, who conducted the census, submitted their results to
Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, nominal director of the census.
– President George Washington delivered the first “State of the Union”
address on Jan. 8, 1790.
– Rhode Island entered the Union as the 13th state, May 29, 1790.
– U.S. population: 3.9 million. (more…)

The use of statistical sampling has been a hot political topic that caused a significant amount of partisan debate, discussion, and allegations prior to Robert M. Groves’ U.S. Senate confirmation hearing to become the next director of the U.S. Census Bureau. However this is not a new issue for the decennial headcount. For the readers of this blog who are interested in the history of the sampling dilemma, please check out this article from Science News Online (click here!) about the sampling debate in the days that led up to the 2000 headcount. The result of the  1999/2000 controversy was a ruling of the United States Supreme Court in the case of the Department of Commerce vs. The United States House of Representatives that banned sampling from being used in decennial census counts.