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Overview: This lesson uses a Historic Census Data Browser site and other web sites to help students gain an understanding of some of the challenges the U.S. faced at its birth. Students are asked to compose a report on the state of the nation in 1790, addressed to President George Washington, which includes a narrative, maps, and graphs. Objectives:
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Grade Level: Middle school or high school proficient readers and
writers Subjects: American History Required Materials
Prerequisite Knowledge:
Optional Technologies:
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Suggested Procedure (Pedagogy): Activity 1:
Introduction to the U.S. Census Opening Tell students that
they are going to be working in the next few days with data from
the U.S. Census as they study the U.S. at its “birth.”
Brainstorm with students about the U.S. Census. What is it?
How did it begin? When
did it begin? How has it changed? Development Find
a reading which details the history of the U.S. census. Develop a series of questions to go with the
reading. A suggested reading
can be found at www.howstuffworks.com/census1.htm Closing Tell
students that their next activity will involve looking at data from
the first U.S. census in 1790 and some other source information
from 1790 in the U.S. Activity 2: Collecting
data about the state of the U.S. in 1790 Opening Tell
students that they are going to need to imagine that President George
Washington has asked them to present him a report on the state of
the U.S.A. in 1790, so he will know what to do to make the U.S.
a better country. Before they write their report, they will need
to work with some data from source materials in order to know what
to include in their reports. The
data will be found on some web sites. Development Hand
out the Activity
Packet, 4 blank maps showing the
13 original states (or combine maps onto one sheet), and colored
pencils. Have students log onto the internet and follow the instructions
on the Activity Packet. Students
will gather data from the web sites in these areas: 1)
Census data from 1790 2)
Major Cities 1790 3)
Native American concerns 1790 Closing Tell
students their next step will be to write their report to President
Washington, using the information they have gathered. Activity 3:
Writing the Report to President Washington on the State of the Union
1790 Opening Review:
Have students share the data they found – what was most interesting? What types of trends did they notice? What bigger questions does the data raise? Development Using
the rubric in the last section of the Activity Packet, students
should write their imaginary letters to President Washington, with
a reminder to base their letters on the data they have found. Closing Have
students volunteer to read their letters to the class. Student
Activity—Online: URLs: www.howstuffworks.com/census1.htm http:// fisher.lib.virginia.edu/census/ http://www.edselect.com/maps.htm www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/ Suggested Assessment: Assign points to
the “Letter to President Washington” activity and use it to assess
students’ understanding. RESOURCE BAR Definitions
Census Treaty Geography Standards
This lesson fits
with the following national geography standards: Human
Systems 13.
How cooperation and conflict influence the division and control
of Earth’s surface. Web Links for
Teachers and Students See above Discussion Questions
Why were Native
Americans not counted in the 1790 census? What types of divisions
in the U.S. in 1790 eventually led to the Civil War? Even though many
people, including Thomas Jefferson, said they did not like slavery,
why did they still own slaves? Why was slavery
more popular in the South than in the North? Even though there
were about 4 million people in the U.S. in 1790, why were even the
biggest cities so small at that time? Extension Activities Explore
historic census data further at the Historic Census Data Browser
web site (see above) |
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Credits Dave Hedenstrom, Social Studies teacher, Franklin Middle School, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
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