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[MUSIC]
The Census is not a modern innovation that's been thrust
upon the American people.
It is as old as the republic itself.
When we look at the Census data, we can watch the U.S. transform
from this fledgling republic,
with relatively sparse population,
scattered on the Atlantic seaboard,
and we can watch it transform
into this continental super power that today is able
to project so much power globally.
[MUSIC]
In the late 18th, early 19th century,
the power of a nation was gauged by the size of its population.
It was understood that if you were a country,
the larger your population, the more prestige
and power you had on the world stage.
And so, here we have the United States, this brand new republic
in the midst of a world,
a dangerous world of colonial empires.
It needed respect in order to survive.
And so, they saw the Census as a way of providing the numbers
to be able to say "Look, we're growing.
We are strong."
When the Congress passed the first Census law,
it was clear they believed that Americans were obliged
to participate in the census.
It was a mandatory thing.
There was no choice in the matter.
They wrote into the law that anyone who refused
to participate in the Census or rendered a false return
for their household would be fined $20.00.
Now today $20.00 seems like it's the price of a parking ticket,
but in 1790, $20.00 represented a severe penalty.
And this provision for a penalty for non-compliance was repeated
in subsequent Censuses.
The Census has played an important role
in the history of the United States.
It is an institution that looks backwards
and at the same time looks forward.
[MUSIC]