This document contains remarks by James Madison (then a Member of Congress) during the debate on the bill for the 1790 Census.  The document comes from the annals of Congress, House of Representatives, 1st Congress, 2nd Session, Tuesday 2, 1790.

Authorizing the First Census - The Significance of Population Data

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.