1860 United States Census facts for kids

The United States Census of 1860 was the eighth time the United States counted all its people. This big count finished after November 1, 1860. It found that 31,443,321 people lived in the U.S. at that time. This was a lot more people than the 1850 Census, showing a 35.4 percent increase. Sadly, this total number included 3,953,761 enslaved people who were not free.

What Was the 1860 Census?

A census is like a giant survey that a country does to count everyone living there. The U.S. government does a census every ten years. The 1860 Census was very important because it happened just before the American Civil War. It helped show how many people lived in different states and how the country was growing.

Why Count Everyone?

Counting people helps the government understand the country better. It shows where people live, how many there are, and how much the population is changing. This information is used for many things, like deciding how many representatives each state gets in Congress. It also helps plan for schools, roads, and other services.

The Big Numbers

The 1860 Census showed a huge jump in population. More than 31 million people were counted. This growth was partly because more people were being born and partly because people were moving to the U.S. from other countries. The country was expanding, and new states were joining the Union.

Counting Enslaved People

A sad part of the 1860 Census was counting enslaved people. These were people who were forced to work without pay and were not free. The census counted 3,953,761 enslaved people. Their numbers were important for political reasons, even though they were not treated as full citizens. This issue was a major cause of the Civil War that started soon after the census.