Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 1.djvu/260

248 Congress have opened the way to all future contributions to social science.

What has been the structure erected on Hamilton's solid foundation? In answering this question the contributions through the census should first be considered, and then all important contributions made through other official sources.

The information secured by the first enumeration, that of 1790, was obtained on a schedule calling, first, for the names of heads of families; second, the number of free white males of 16 years of age and upwards, including heads of families; third, free white males under 16 years of age; fourth, free white males, including heads of families; fifth, all other free persons; sixth, the number of slaves. The enumeration gave the basis for the apportionment of representatives, and as a contribution to social science it gave the opportunity to study, along the lines of primitive classification, the composition of our population as to numbers, with a crude distinction as to those above and below 16 years of age and as to free and slave populations. Primitive indeed this seems when we look at the schedules used in later censuses, but it was of vast importance at that time, and, perhaps, of sufficient importance.

It did not take many years for Congress to understand that it had not secured through the first census information in sufficient detail to enable it to consider fully the composition of the people. Students began to clamor for more, and so prior to the enactment of the law which provided for the second enumeration, that of 1800, public-spirited citizens, engaged in scientific and philosophical pursuits, sought to prevail on Congress to make the census of that year (1800) something more than a bare enumeration of population. Two learned societies memorialized Congress on the subject, one the American Philosophical Society and the other the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences. The memorial of the first named society was sent to the Senate January 10, 1800, and was signed by Thomas Jefferson as the president of the society; that of the second was laid before the