The American Census: A Social History [Paperback]

Margo J. Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 10, 1990

This book, published on the eve of the bicentennial of the American census, is the first social history of this remarkably important institution, from its origins in 1790 to the present. Margo Anderson argues that the census has always been an influential policymaking tool, used not only to determine the number of representatives apportioned to each state but also to allocate tax dollars to states, and, in the past, to define groups-such as slaves and immigrants-who were to be excluded from the American polity. "As a history of the census, this study is a delight. It is thoroughly researched and richly detailed. Anderson is to be commended for covering such an expansive chronology with such skill. . . . Anderson has woven together not only social history but also intellectual, institutional, political, and military history into a thoroughly readable book that examines not only changes in the census but also the remarkable changes that have taken place in the US."-Choice "This book is valuable, clearly written and contains many interesting facts. It should be read not only by national policymakers and the statistical community, but by all who are interested in American society."-Bryant Robey, Population Today "A solid and readable piece of social, political, and institutional history. It will be essential reading not only for historians of American politics but also for census and population experts, for any public policy formulators who rely on census figures, and for those interested in the history of numeracy and statistics."-Patricia Cline Cohen, University of California, Santa Barbara

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (September 10, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300047096
• ISBN-13: 978-0300047097
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #592,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The essential history of the U.S. census., August 5, 1999

By 

Bill Hobby (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American Census: A Social History (Paperback)

The American Census By Margo J. Anderson

The year 2000 will be memorable political year. Not only will we elect a new Congress, new Legislatures and a new President, but we will also be counted.

The census will determine how many seats in Congress and how many electoral votes each state has. It will trigger redistricting in most states and many cities and counties. The census will determine how about $180 billion a year in federal aid is allocated among the states.

No wonder the issue is so controversial. This book is essential to understanding the issue. Margo Anderson takes us through past such controversies -- some fairly ludicrous. After the Civil War, the Republicans in Congress were afraid that counting all the newly freed slaves for purposes of apportionment would increase Southern representation in Congress. (It didn't. Southerners were undercounted and the western states grew more rapidly than the decimated south.)

The 1920 census showed much urban growth that Congress simply ignored the Constitution and did not reapportion at all.

The tables summarizing the census history of each state and its representation in Congress are particularly valuable, as is the bibliographic essay at the end.

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