A HISTORY OF THE CENSUS(Map Literacy) Grades 5-6 Skills and Objectives: * Students will compare historical maps. 0 Students will draw conclusions from maps. Suggested Groupings-Small groups, individuals Getting Started: * Hand out copies of the reproducible on page 4. Have students read and compare the 1790 and 1890 census maps with each other, and with the We Count! wall map. * Explain that the first U.S. census, in 1790, yielded a population count of approximately 4 million; but by 1890, that number had grown to approximately 63 million; and by 1990, that number had reached approximately 248 million. Contributing factors include high levels of immigration, high birth rates, and longer life spans. * What do you know about the United States in the 1790s? (Possible answers: it had many fewer states; the Revolutionary War bad just ended; slavery still existed.) In the 1890s? (The Spanish-American War took place; slavery bad been abolisbed.) In the 1990s? (The Cold War ended; the U.S. fought the Gulf War; many new tecbnologies, including the Internet, were developed.) Using the Activity Worksheet: Distribute copies of the Lesson 1 Activity Worksheet (page 5) to your class and introduce them to the activity. Inform them that they will need to refer to the 1790 and 1890 census maps (page 4) and the We Count! wall map to complete this activity. Wrapping Up: * Review students' completed charts and their answers to the Worksheet questions (page 5). * How does the U.S. population in 1890 compare with the population in 1990 (on the We Count! wall map)? (Possible answer: California has grown to become the most populous state.) * Why might the government need to know about population changes? (Possible answers: to know how many representatives each state gets; to provide the right services to everyone.) * Explain that while the overall population may have increased between 1790 and 1890, the American Indian population declined. Have students connect the information on the American Indian Reservation map (on the We Count! wall map) with what they know about the history of American Indians. For instance, students can research changes among the American Indian population during those years. What are some of the factors that contributed to these changes? * Students might enjoy finding out about censuses in other countries or cultures. For activities using quipus, knotted strings the Inca (an ancient South American people) used to record census-style data, see Multicultural Math: Hands-on Activities from Around the World by Claudia Zaslavsky (Scholastic, 1994). Answers: Page 5: 1. VT, NH, NY, MA, CT, RI, PA, NJ, DE, MD, VA, NC, SC, GA. 2.100,000-349,999; 2,000,000 or more; 17,990,500. 3. Students should realize immigration played a large part in the U.S. population increase. Total U.S. population in 1790-3,909,214/number of states-13/areas included in census that had not yet become states-Tennessee Total U.S. population in 1890-62,979,766/number of states-45/areas included in census that had not yet become states-Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Arkansas Total U.S. population in 1990-248,709,873/number of states-50/areas included in census that had not yet become states-0 Chalkboard Definitions census: an official count of all the people living in the country. historical map: a map that provides information about the past. Lesson 1 Activity Worksheet A History of the Census Results of the 1790 Census Conneticut, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and South Carolina had between 100,000-349,999 persons. Delaware, Georgia, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Vermont had less than 100,000 persons (Tennessee was not a state until 1796.) Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia had 350,000 or more persons (Maine was part of Massachusetts in 1790.) U.S. Total-3,909,214 Results of the 1890 Census Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas had 2,000,000 or more persons. Alabama, Arkansas, California, Conneticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin had between 500,000-1,999,999 persons. Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wyoming had less than 500,000 (Utah was not a state until 1896, Arizona and New Mexico were not states until 1912, and Alaska and Hawaii were not states until 1959.) U.S. Total-62,979,766 * Look at the two historical maps on the previous page and the We Count! wall map. The top map shows information taken from the 1790 Census. (That's the first year a census was taken.) The bottom map shows information from the 1890 Census. The We Count! wall map shows information from the 1990 Census. By comparing these three maps, you can get some ideas about how the United States changed during these 200 years. Use the three maps to fill in the chart below. TOTAL U.S. POPULATION-1790, 1890, and 1990. NUMBER OF STATES included in census-1790, 1890, and 1990. AREAS INCLUDED IN CENSUS that had not yet become states(use abbreviations)-1790, 1890, and 1990. @i@ @ i ALL @@ i Now use the maps to answer these questions: 1. List the states that appear on both the 1790 and 1890 maps. 2. How many people lived in New York in 1790? In 1890? In 1990? 3. What might be some causes of the growth in U.S. population between 1790 and 1990? WHERE WE LIVE(Map Literacy) Grades 7-8 Skills and Objectives: * Students will practice reading special purpose maps. * Students will analyze population density and population shifts. Suggested Groupings-Small groups, individuals Getting Started: 1. Begin this lesson by telling students they will practice reading two kinds of special purpose maps: * A Mean Center of Population map (on page 8 of this guide) and a Population Density map (inset in the We Count! wall map). * A Mean Center of Population map is a useful tool in assessing population shifts. Reasons for these shifts include historical movements, such as westward expansion, as well as economic trends. * The Population Density map shows where people in the U.S. live, county by county. Students can use the map key to determine how densely populated particular counties are. 2. To help students understand what the mean center of population is, try this demonstration: * Tape 3 paper clips on each end of a letter-size envelope. Balance the envelope on your fingertip. Demonstrate the balance point to the class. * Then move 2 paper clips from one side of the envelope to the other, so that one side has 5 clips and the other has one. Demonstrate how the balance point shifts. * Explain that the mean center of population is the point at which the United States would balance perfectly if it were a flat surface (like the envelope) and every person weighed the same amount (as the paper clips do). * Be sure students know which area of the U.S. the map on page 8 shows. Have them match the states on this map with the same states on the We Count! wall map. Using the Activity Worksheets: * Photocopy the Lesson 2 Activity Worksheets (pages 7 and 8) for your class. Distribute the worksheets to your students and introduce them to the activities they will do. Wrapping Up: * Go over students' answers to the questions on worksheet pages 7 and 8. * According to the 1990 Census, the Sunbelt region (Southern and Southwestern states) had the largest population increase. Help students see that the center of population is shifting south and west in accordance with the population increase. * Northeastern states have the highest population density. Help students see the correlation between this fact and how the region appears on the Population Density map. * Have students refer to their school library's almanac or The Statistical Abstract of the United States to compare the population density of the U.S. to that of other countries. (In 1990, the U.S. population density was 70 people per square mile. Australia had 6 people per square mile, and Japan bad 849 per square mile.) Next, have them compare the population densities of the U.S. states as well. Answers: Page 7: 1. 250 or more people per square mile. 2. New Jersey and Rhode Island. (New Jersey is actually the most densely populated state.) 3. Answers will vary. 4. The Northeast. 5. Possible answer: The Eastern half of the country is more densely populated than the Western half. Page 8: 1. Maryland, Indiana, Missouri. 2. 1830 to 1840. 3. West and south. 4. More people are moving to the South and West. Chalkboard Definitions special purpose map: a map that displays information about a specific subject. mean center of population: the point at which a country would balance perfectly if it were a flat surface and every person on it was of equal weight. population density: the number of people per unit area (e.g. square mile). Lesson 2 Activity Worksheet WHERE WE LIVE A lot of the information the census collects is shown on special purpose maps. Special purpose maps are maps that show information about a specific subject, such as a country's annual rainfall or milk consumption. Two special purpose maps the U.S. Census Bureau uses are a Population Density map and a Mean Center of Population map. Population Density Map The We Count! wall map shows the population totals for each state. But, the Population Density map shows how that population is distributed in each state. Look at the Population Density map (in a separate box on the We Count! wall map.) This map shows the population density, or how many people there are per square mile for each county in the United States. Different densities are shown as different colors. The map key tells you what each color represents. Use this map to answer the following questions. 1. How many people per square mile do the red counties have? 2. Which two states appear to be the most densely populated? 3. Look at your state. What is the population density of the most densely populated part? What is the population density of the least densely populated part? 4. Which region of the country seems most densely populated: the Northeast, the Midwest, the South, or the West? 5. What is one conclusion you can draw from this map? Mean Center of Population As the U.S. has grown from 13 to 50 states, the number of people living in different parts of the country has also changed. The Mean Center of Population map shows the point at which the country would balance perfectly if it were a flat surface and every person on it were of equal weight. Mean Center of Population 1790-Maryland 1800-Maryland 1810-Virginia 1820-West Virginia 1830-West Virginia 1840-West Virginia 1850-West Virginia 1860-Ohio 1870-Ohio 1880-Kentucky 1890-Indiana 1900-Indiana 1910-Indiana 1920-Indiana 1930-Indiana 1940-Indiana 1950-Illinois 1960-Illinois 1970-Illinois 1980-Missouri 1990-Missouri Look at the Mean Center of Population map above. Use it to answer the questions below. 1. In what state was the center of population located in 1790? In 1890? In 1990? 2. Which decade had a larger population shift: 1830 to 1840, or 1960 to 1970? 3. In which two directions has the center of population shifted since 1790? 4. What do you think this shift means?