Have you filled out your census for 2020 and submitted it? I did ours in late January, pushed the Submit button, and forgot about it. Well, not forgot, just fussed. There was very little, if any, historical or genealogical information asked.
One hundred years ago, the census returns reported changes in American population, beliefs, and residences. We can trace societal differences we see today in Red and Blue States from that point on.
The 1920 census showed more city residents than rural residents, albeit 51.2 percent were urban and 48.8 percent rural. Change was on the way. From the very first census in 1790, most Americans lived on farms, throughout the country.
What caused the changes? After World War I (1917-1918 for the US) a poor farm economy drove many young people to factory jobs in the cities. Also, and extremely important, after 1830 more of the country’s population growth came from immigrants who settled in urban areas. They had a huge impact on control of state legislatures, Congress, and even the presidency.
As we all know, the number of Congressmen in the House of Representatives is based on populations. The demographics noted above threatened the rural states’ hold on political power who did not want to lose to cities. Cities were viewed as hotbeds of unionism, socialism, and progressivism. As a result, the 1920 census was the only one in U. S. history that did not result in the reshuffling of congressional seats. Congressional representatives from rural districts found excuses to delay the constitutionally required reapportionment.
The nation was politically divided by region, with the South and West on one side and the Northeast on the other. Some Midwestern states were decidedly rural; others, more urban. This divide laid bare differences in values. Rural Americans saw themselves as embodiments of the Jeffersonian ideals of hard work and self-reliance. Farmers cherished those ideals and believed they were protectors of democracy. They were apprehensive of big-city progressivism. They disapproved of the women’s movement for the right to vote and scoffed at the “flappers” who smoked, wore makeup and danced.
Sound familiar? The divide continues today with our stress on “blue” urban and “red” rural areas.