History and the Census: 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill
In 1775, Boston, Massachusetts, was the third-largest city in colonial America, after Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and New York City, New York. Boston’s population was estimated at 15,520 in 1770. During the American Revolution, many colonists left the city, causing the population to decline to approximately 10,000 by 1780. By the time of the United States census in 1790, Boston’s population had risen to 18,038.
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History and the Census: 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill
June 17 marks the 240th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, one of the first major battles of the American Revolutionary War between British and American forces. Before the battle, American leaders learned that British troops planned to seize the high ground overlooking Boston Harbor, including the strategic positions at Charlestown and Dorchester Heights.
Under the command of Colonel William Prescott, about 1,200 colonial militia moved to block the British advance by building fortifications on Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill. When bombardment from British naval vessels in the harbor and artillery positioned on Copp's Hill failed to drive the Americans from their defenses, roughly 3,000 British redcoats advanced to capture the hills by force.
Battle of Bunker Hill by Percy Moran.
Over the next two hours, British troops were twice forced to retreat in the face of surprisingly accurate fire from the hills’ defenders and nearby American snipers. Lacking ammunition to continue the fight, Prescott ordered a withdrawal to fortified positions in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in response to a third and final British assault on Breed’s Hill. The British gained control of the high ground, but victory came at a tremendous cost.
Although American troops suffered approximately 450 casualties, the battle inflicted the highest casualty count suffered by the British in any single encounter during the war, with 226 dead and 828 wounded. British troops recognized that the “colonial rebellion” would not be as easily suppressed as they had first believed.
Census data and other statistical sources can help you learn more about colonial America and the birth of the United States. For example:
- In 1770, Boston, Massachusetts, was the third-largest colonial city (behind Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and New York, New York) with 15,520 inhabitants. Many families left the city during the British occupation so that by 1780, its population had declined to approximately 10,000. Ten years later, the first census of the United States counted 18,320 residents in Boston. Following the 2010 Census, Boston was the nation's 24th-largest city with a population of 617,594.
- The population of the colonies in 1780 was approximately 2,781,000. The largest colonies were Virginia (520,000), Pennsylvania (335,000), North Carolina (300,000), Massachusetts (307,000), and Maryland (250,000).
- Charlestown, Massachusetts—home to Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill—was settled in 1628 and became the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The 1790 Census counted 1,583 people living in Charlestown. The 1870 Census, the last before Charlestown's 1874 annexation by Boston, recorded 28,323 inhabitants. According to the 2010 Census, the neighborhood is home to 16,439.
- The U.S. Constitution requires that a census be conducted every 10 years to apportion Congress and to determine each state's share of Revolutionary War debt. The first census was conducted in 1790, when the new nation was home to 3,929,214.
- In 1790, the combined population of the ten largest urban areas in the United States totaled approximately 150,000. These cities were New York City, New York (33,131); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (28,522); Boston, Massachusetts (18,320); Charleston, South Carolina (16,359); Baltimore, Maryland (13,503); Northern Liberties Township, Pennsylvania (9,913); Salem, Massachusetts (7,921); Newport, Rhode Island (6,716); Providence, Rhode Island (6,380); and Marblehead, Massachusetts, and Southwark district, Pennsylvania, (5,661).
- A comparison of the largest urban areas from the 1790 and 2010 censuses shows how our nation has expanded west and moved away from colonial maritime centers. New York City, New York, remains the nation's most populous with 8,175,133, followed by Los Angeles, California (3,792,621); Chicago, Illinois (2,695,598); Houston, Texas (2,099,451); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1,526,006); Phoenix, Arizona (1,445,632); San Antonio, Texas (1,327,407); San Diego, California (1,307,402); Dallas, Texas (1,197,816); and San Jose, California (945,942).
Sketch of Bunker Hill Battle.
This Month in Census History
A 1990 Census enumerator visits a household.
During the 1830 to 1900 censuses, the count was taken as of June 1 or June 2. In addition to June, the first four censuses (1790 to 1820) were conducted in in August. The 1910 Census was taken as of April 15, and the 1920 Census was taken on January 1. Our nation's current Census Day has been April 1 since 1930.
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On This Day In History
A 1903 Ford automobile produced the same year the Ford Motor Company was founded.
On June 16, 1903, Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company. In that year, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 11,000 automobiles were manufactured, and a total of 32,920 automobiles had been registered in the United States. Twenty years later, annual automobile production had risen to nearly 4.1 million (nearly half of which were manufactured by Ford), and 15.1 million automobiles were registered on America's roads.
In 2015, there were more than 263 million registered motor vehicles in the United States. The 2012 Economic Census found that the total value of shipments from automobile manufacturers was $108.8 billion.
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Did You Know?
Lemuel Cook (photographed above in 1864 at age 105) was the last verifiable surviving veteran of the American Revolutionary War. Cook enlisted in the Continental Army at the age of 16 and served as a private in the 2nd Regiment of Light Dragoons (Connecticut). He fought at Brandywine, near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania; in the Virginia campaign; and witnessed the surrender of General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia. Cook was one of approximately 25,000 pensioners listed in A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services, having been enumerated in the Orleans County town of Clarendon, New York. Cook died on May 20, 1866, at the age of 106, in Clarendon, New York.
The 1840 Census was the first in which veterans data were collected. In that year, Lemuel Cook and approximately 25,000 other surviving Revolutionary War veterans and military veterans supplied data, including name, age, and place of residence. Today, the U.S. Census Bureau collects demographic, social, and economic data on veterans of the armed forces in the American Community Survey and Current Population Survey.
