What the Census Might Have Called Me
The United States of America conducted its first census in the year 1790. Even though the census only asked six questions, its primary purpose was to categorize the American citizen by race, gender, religion, and ethnicity. The census was initiated by the Congress on March first when they instructed the government to carry out a population count. According to Andrew Glass for politico, he disclosed that "in authorizing the census, lawmakers were complying with Article 1, section 2 of the U.S. Constitution that required the federal government to conduct a census of U.S. population every ten years" (Eschner, 2017) .
Among the six questions that were asked at that particular time, the most important ones included the name of a white male who was supposed to be a householder and the name of other members of the family. Also, the questions on the sixteen years old and above males who were regarded as the free whites' males and free white males that were below sixteen years of age, free white females and also other free people and the slaves were crucial. The entire process of the census was to give value to the American citizen and categorize them accordingly.
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In 1790, I would have been among the slaves. It is because being in America is not by choice, but I found myself in America because our forefathers were slaves and after the reconstruction era, they found freedom and that is the reason I am in America today. In addition to this, the latest USA census was carried out in 2010. At this moment in time, there was a significant liberation because there were no more slaves. Due to this, I could have been among African American because of my color. Although it is discrimination, it is part of being recognized as part of the American citizens ( Strmic-Pawl, Jackson & Garner, 2018).
Social Constructs
There is a significant difference between the 1790 USA Census and 2010 USA Census. It is because, with time, many things have changed, and most of the real Americans have started recognizing other people. However, in terms of racial discrimination, there is no difference at all. In 1790, any other person who was not a white person was a slave. This showed that the two that is the whites and the slaves could not have interacted. Also, all other races were slaves, but by the year 2010, racial discrimination is high ( Emigh, Riley, & Ahmed, 2015). In effect, one can witness the number of other races which includes the African American, Latinos, to mention but a few.
Also, on gender, the male personnel have always been considered as the dominant person in the USA. This occurrence is still the same in the year 2010. In essence, during the first census, the first person to be counted was the male person. Before the female being counted, all males who were sixteen and above or below sixteen had to be counted. This shows that gender equality since 1790 to now have not yet changed even if women are fighting for their rights day by day.
Taking into consideration the ethnicity and social class of the American, it is essential to say that it has changed. By 1790, people who were not white were as slaves. There was not ethnicity or social difference between slaves. However, this took a turn, and in 2010, people were categorized based on their ethnic differences and also social relationship. For example, the blacks were called negros, Latinos, Chinese, among others ( Nobles, 2015).
Better Future Census Categories
All people are equal irrespective of color, gender, ethnicity, and social constructs. It is the responsibility of the government to initiate a broad diversity of population appreciation to enhance equality. For example, in 2008, the Americans made a significant decision of electing the black president. Given such a scenario, it is within reason to argue that the upcoming census or the future census should categorize all people as one. In effect, discrimination habits will decrease and in turn, change the social norms among all the Americans.
References
Emigh, R. J., Riley, D., & Ahmed, P. (2015). The Racialization of Legal Categories in the First US Census. Social Science History , 39 (4), 485-519.
Eschner, K. (2017). The First US Census Only Asked Six Questions. SMITHSONIAN.COM .
Nobles, M. (2015). Census and Categorization. The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Nationalism , 1-3.
Strmic-Pawl, H. V., Jackson, B. A., & Garner, S. (2018). Race counts: racial and ethnic data on the US census and the implications for tracking inequality. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity , 4 (1), 1-13.
