1870 United States census

The 1870 United States census was the ninth United States census. It took place between June 1, 1870, and August 23, 1871, and was carried out by the Census Office. This census was special because it gave detailed information about the African American population for the first time, just five years after the end of the Civil War, when slaves were freed.

During this census, the total number of people living in the United States was counted as 38,925,598, with 38,558,371 living in homes. This was a growth of 22.6% compared to the count from 1860.

Some people thought the 1870 census did not count everyone correctly, especially in places like New York and Pennsylvania. It was also a big moment because all 100 of the largest cities in the country had more than 10,000 people living in them. Additionally, this was the last time the federal census used the US Marshal Service to gather information from people.

Census Act of 1850

The Census Act of 1850 set up the main system for the ninth census. The Census Office, part of the Department of the Interior, managed the recording and organizing of results collected by assistant marshals. These marshals were hired and watched by federal marshals. During the 1870 census, two new rules were added: marshals needed to send back the finished questionnaires to the Census Office by September, and penalties for not answering any questions on the forms were made stricter.

Census organization

The 1870 United States census was organized to show changes in American society after the Civil War. It included five main areas: General Population, Mortality, Agriculture, Products of Industry, and Social Statistics.

The number of people in the United States grew by 22.6% to 38,555,983 in 1870. The census also recorded where people were born, showing many immigrants lived in cities like New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, and San Francisco. This helped show how the country's population was changing with new people moving in.

Census results

The census did not count Native Americans who were living on government reservations or people in the newly acquired district of Alaska.

For deciding how many representatives each state would have in Congress, the total population numbers from the census were used.

Census questions

The 1870 United States census asked people for basic information like their names, age, sex, and where they were born. It also asked about their jobs, how much their homes and property were worth, and whether they went to school.

The census checked if people could read or write and noted any special needs they might have. It also looked at voting rights for men over 21, especially if they couldn’t vote because of rules like needing to pay a fee or pass a reading test. You can find more details about these questions from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series.

Population undercount

When the 1870 United States census was finished, some people were unhappy because they thought not everyone was counted. Big cities like New York and Philadelphia said that many people were missed. The President even asked for these cities to be counted again. In the end, only a small number more people were found.

Years later, people noticed that the number of people growing between 1870 and 1880 seemed too high. Some thought the 1870 count was too low by over 1.2 million people. But today, experts think the problem wasn’t as big as people thought back then. They compare it to how some people today might not answer when someone comes to count them.

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