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Race
and Ethnicity in the Census: 1860 to 2000
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The shifting labels and definitions used in the U.S. census reflect
the growing diversity of the population and changing political and
social climate. The first population census in 1790 asked enumerators
to classify free residents as white or "other." Slaves were
counted separately. By 1860, the census requested that residents be
classified as white, black, or quadroon (see table). American Indian
and Chinese were added as separate categories in 1870. In the 1890
census, census-takers were instructed to distinguish the color of
household members as white, black, octoroon (one-eighth black),
quadroon (one-quarter black), or as Chinese,
Japanese, or American Indian.
The number of categories has grown in the 20th century
and so has the confusion about racial and ethnic classification. Many
Hispanics do not identify with a particular racial group, so a
separate question was added to the 1970 census to collect data on
Hispanic origin. The confusion about racial and ethnic classifications
may become more acute after 2000, when people will be allowed, for the
first time, to select more than one race. |
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Race/Ethnicity
Categories in the Census 1860-2000 |
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Census |
1860 |
18901 |
1900 |
1970 |
20002 |
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Race
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White |
White |
White |
White |
White |
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Black |
Black |
Black
(of Negro decent) |
Negro
or Black |
Black,
African American, or Negro |
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quadroon |
quadroon |
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Chinese |
Chinese |
Chinese |
Chinese |
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Indian |
Indian |
Indian
(Amer.) |
American
Indian or Alaska Native |
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Quadroon |
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Octoroon |
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Japanese |
Japanese |
Japanese |
Japanese |
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Filipino |
Filipino |
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Asian
Indian |
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Korean |
Korean |
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Hawaiian |
Native
Hawaiian |
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Vietnamese |
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Guamanian
or Chamorro |
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Samoan |
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Other
Asian |
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Other
Pacific Islander |
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Other |
Some
other race |
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Hispanic
ethnicity |
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Mexican |
Mexican,
Mexican Amer., Chicano |
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Puerto
Rican |
Puerto
Rican |
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Central/So.
American |
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Cuban |
Cuban |
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Other
Spanish |
Other
Spanish/Hispanic/Latino |
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(None
of these) |
Not
Spanish/Hispanic/Latino |
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Source:
200 Years of U.S. Census Taking: Population And Housing
Questions 1790-1990. U.S. Department of Commerce. U.S. Bureau of
the Census. |
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1 In
1890, mulatto was defined as a person who was three-eighths to
five-eighths black. A quadroon was one-quarter black and an
octoroon one-eighth black. |
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2
Categories printed in the 2000 Census Dress Rehearsal
questionnaire. |
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Note:
Prior to the 1970 census, enumerators wrote in the race of
individuals using the designated categories. In subsequent
censuses, respondents or enumerators filled in circles next to
the categories with
which the respondent identified. Also beginning with the 1970
census, persons choosing American Indian, other Asian, other
race, or (for the Hispanic question), other Hispanic categories,
were asked
to write in a specific tribe or group. Hispanic ethnicity was
asked of a sample of Americans in 1970 and of all Americans
beginning with the 1980 census. |
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Source:
U.S. Census Bureau
(Information about the
2000 Census)
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Download
Table
Categories from Each Census
1860-2000
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