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U.S. Census Treatment of National Origin & Language
NATIONAL ORIGIN The first U.S. Census to collect data about national origin was the 1850 Census. Free inhabitants were asked to list their “place of birth,” including state or territory names if they were U.S. born. Foreign-born inhabitants were asked to list their country or government of origin.[1] The national origin of slaves was not recorded. In 1870, respondents were asked to state whether their parents were foreign-born. This was simply a “yes” or “no” question. LANGUAGE The first Census reference to language occurred in 1880. A special section of that year’s Census titled “Schedule-1, Indian Division” required Native Americans to list the language they spoke.[2] In 1890, the Census began asking respondents to list their parents’ nations of origin.[3] Instructions specified that foreign countries of origin were to be as accurate as possible. For example, instead of listing Great Britain, specific nations were to be named, such as England, Scotland and Whales.[4] In a section of the 1890 Census entitled “School Attendance, Illiteracy, and Language Spoken,” parents were asked to list the languages or dialects spoken by any children who did not speak English. Children who could be understood in ordinary conversation were deemed English speakers.[5] A section of the 1900 Census entitled “Education” included a “yes” or “no” question requiring all person 10 years of age or older to say whether or not they spoke English.[6] NATIONAL ORIGIN AND LANGUAGE NOT TO BE CONFUSED The Census of 1900 clearly distinguished between national origin and language: “. . . the language spoken is not always a safe guide to the birthplace. This is especially true of Germans, for over one-third of the Austrians and nearly three-fourths of the Swiss speak German. In case a person speaks German, therefore, inquire carefully whether the birthplace was Germany, Austria or Switzerland.”[7] In 1910, foreign-born persons were required to name their place of origin, parents’ place of birth and “mother tongue”, as well as their own native language.[8] Instructions cautioned again against confusing the language a person spoke with their national origin.[9] Another section of the 1910 Census entitled “Ability to Speak English,” asked all respondents (foreign-born or native), to say whether they spoke English. If they did not speak English, they were asked to name the language they spoke. Persons who spoke more than one foreign language were asked to identify their native language.[10] RECENT CENSUS HANDLING OF LANGUAGE & NATIONAL ORIGIN Questions about place of origin, parents’ place of birth, and “mother tongue” continued to be included in the Census, in one form or another, for the next several decades. In 1970, foreign-born persons were asked to list languages other than English spoken in their homes when they were children.[11] The 1980 Census asked all respondents whether they spoke a language other than English at home. If yes, they were asked to characterize how well they spoke English.[12] The 1980 Census, for the first time, required respondents to list their “ancestry,” in addition to their place of birth.[13] It also marked the first time respondents were specifically asked whether they were of Spanish or Hispanic descent.[14] The 2000 Census included questions about a person’s place of birth, “ancestry or ethnic origin,” and non-English languages spoken at home.1. Measuring America: The Decennial Censuses from 1790 to 2000, U.S. Department of the Census, 2004. http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/ma/html. Pp. 11, par. 3 11. 1970 Questionnaire, U.S. Department of the Census. http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/pol02marv-pt3.pdf. Pp. 78
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