How many of us are there and where are we now.

NYT Census Map

In the second half of the semester our focus shifts a bit, away from discussions of democracy (more as a societal characteristic than a governmental system) toward the "vistas" of the 19th century.  This will include what people looked at and where they were.  I admit that the connection is slender, but it is the case that in these decades the American population grew and shifted westward, so this map presenting data from the 2010 census is of interest.  It allows the viewer to see, at a county level, where the population grew in the last decade and where it declined.  It also breaks down the changes into several ethnic/racial categories including Native Americans. 

Our county, Rice, has grown just over 13%.  Whites are 90% of the total; but that population has grown only 6%.  Native Americans, who are 0% of the total, have grown more that 30%.  The largest increase is among Blacks: +183%

How very interesting it would be to see this same information for each decade of the 19th century and to trace the population changes with such things as the expansion of the railroad, the homestead act, and immigration.