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The population of what is now the United States until the 17th century was almost entirely Native Americans. The size of the native americabn population is not well established before the foundation of the Unites States and at first not include in censuses conducted every decade. The first European settlement was Spanish in what is now the southwest and Florida. This involved very small numbers of Spaniards who primarily settled the Central Highlands of Mexico, very few ventured as far north as the the current boundaries of the United States. Because of the exposure of these indigenous people to Europeans there was population collapse, especially noticeable in the northeaster area. Although there were no permanent English settlement until the 17th century, there was contact, primarily because of European fishing activity on the Grand Banks. This resulted in the spread of European diseases to which the native Americans had no immunity. This is one reason the Native Americans people could not effectively resist English colonization. The first permanent English colony was Jamestown in Virginia (1609 followed by Plymouth in Massachusetts (1620). The great bulk of the earl settlers were of English origins, but included a smattering of Dutch, Scottish and German settlers. The American population grew from an estimated 350 Englishmen in the Jamestown colony (1610) to over 330 increasingly diverse people in the last Census (2020). The American population growth growth was primarily from British emigration, mostly English (17th and 18th centuries). The primary exception was the importation of captive Africans into the southern colonies as part of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. This was a small part of the slave trade, but substantial in demographic terms because the population of the United States was so limited. The united States outlawed the slave trade (1807), but there was an increase in the slave population through natural reproduction among the enslaved population. Migration continued at relatively low levels, mostly from Britain during the first half of the 19th century. Until the 1840s, the United States was a country of mostly British and Protestant citizens. The first large non-British and non-Protestant immigrants were the Irish as a result of the deadly Potato Famine (1840s). At the same time, he Revolutions of 1840s set in motion immigration from Continental Europe, at first primarily the Germans. The Mexican War (1846-48). The Civil War (1860-65) discouraged mass migration for a time, but it accelerated industrialization which in the long run would attract more European immigrant seeking the higher wages paid in America along with greater freedom and opportunity. mass migration soon began after the War and was mostly from Continental Europe, including the mostly Catholic countries, crating a much more diverse country. Tsar Alexander III of Russia began a process of Russification and anti-Semetic terror, driving non-Russians and Jews from Russia, adding to the American ethnic mix (1880s). Until after World War I there were no limits on European immigration, except heath controls. There were limits on Asian immigrants entering California. At the same time the United States was rapidly industrialization and urbanizing. This primarily occurred in the northern sate where a more entrepreneurial spirit dominated. For the first tine, the majority of Americans lived in cities (1920). This mean the average size of the American family was declining. It is at this tome the United States introduced strict immigration limitations (1924). While this limited the arrival of new immigrants. The United States had a large population of immigrants that were only partly assimilated. Here the public schools were doing a fine job of beginning the assimilation process. The African-American population was until the 1910s a mostly rural southern population. The harsh treatment of African Americans in the South set in motion he Great Migration, converted many African Americans to a northern urban population. Henry Ford invented the Model-T Tin Lizzie (1907), essentially putting Americans on wheels--motorized wheels. This accelerated a move from the cities to the sunburns. The Great Depression of the 1930s, slowed population growth, but accelerated urbanization and strangely enough education, with more teenagers attending secondary schools. World War I had major repercussions, but because America was involved for only a shirt time, they were limited. World War II had a far greater impact, leading the Civil Rights and Women's movements and a more open immigration system. he War and the Cold War that followed it would lead to America becoming a super power and generating unrepresented scientific advances leading to marvelous life changing innovations and while new industries. Immigration has led to major demographic shifts, especially a huge rise in the Hispanic population.
The population of what is now the United States until the 17th century was almost entirely Native Americans. The size of the Native American population is not well established before the foundation of the Unites States and at first not include in censuses conducted every decade. The first European settlement was Spanish in what is now the southwest and Florida. This involved very small numbers of Spaniards who primarily settled the Central Highlands of Mexico, very few ventured as far north as the the current boundaries of the United States. Because of the exposure of these indigenous people to Europeans there was population collapse, especially noticeable in the northeaster area. Although there were no permanent English settlement until the 17th century, there was contact, primarily because of European fishing activity on the Grand Banks. This resulted in the spread of European diseases to which the native Americans had no immunity. This is one reason the Native Americans people could not effectively resist English colonization.
The first permanent English colony was Jamestown in Virginia (1609 followed by Plymouth in Massachusetts (1620). The great bulk of the early settlers were of English origins, but included a smattering of Dutch, Scottish and German settlers. The American population grew from an estimated 350 English people in the Jamestown colony (1610). The American population growth growth was primarily from British emigration, mostly English (17th and 18th centuries). The primary exception was the importation of captive Africans into the southern colonies as part of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. This was a small part of the slave trade, but substantial in demographic terms because the population of the United States was so limited. Much of the population had arrived as indentured servants, but by the end of the century this was declining and most of he population had worked off their period of servitude, usually 7 years. The Frontier also affected the population. White indentured servants could always take off for the frontier if mistreated which was not possible in Britain itself. Also important was the English Civil War and resulting Commonwealth (1640s-50s). During this period, England essentially relinquished control of its colonies. And the colonial legislatures were left to their own devices. To the frustration of the English/British, they were never able to fully regain control. While the population was essentially homogeneous in ethnic terms, there was a significant political divide. Among the immigrants were the Scots-Irish which settled on the frontier where free land was available. While ethnically similar to the British population, this ethnic population was hostile to British control as it included people who had been dispossessed by the English/Brutish power structure.
The population of the English Atlantic coast colonies was still tiny by the beginning of the 18th century, only about a qurater million people (1700). There were huge percentage increases during the century, rising from 19-44 percent per decade. Even during the turmoil of the Revolution, the population rose 35 percent during the 1770s. The ethnic mix was mostly English, with a smattering of Dutch, Germans, and Scots and enslaved Africans in the Southern colonies. The importance of indentured servitude declined during the century and by the time of the Revolution was no longer of any real importance. One option as Revolution began was give the 2.5 million Americvan colonists representation in the Westminster Parliament. The population of England and Wales at the time was about 6.5 million. It did not take much math to understand that the Americans would soon outnumber the British, so this was never a realistic possibility. While the Brutish foundation was vital to America. The importance of the Scots-Irish on the Frontier was an important factor in the victory of the Americans. The population as a whole were split in the question of independence, but not the Scots-Irish. The Americans inherited important aspects of British thoughts--most importantly British law and capitalism, bit despite the basic ethnic similarity, there were departures from British society, most importantly 1) the end of monarchical rule and the decision for the first time in history 2) to provide the average Joe the right to actually own the land he farmed. This was codified by the Northwest Ordinance (1787) even before the Constitution was ratified (1789). And there were no ethnic, religious, or social restrictions placed on land or other property ownership. Slavery was an insolvable problem at the Constitutional Convention. The delegates did not enshrine slavery in the Constitution and most left Philadelphia thinking that slavery was a dying institution which would solve itself over time. Tragically, Eli Whitney's cotton gin gave slavery an extended life line (1793). The basic ethnic demographics did not change with the Revolution (1776-83) except that opportunity for the Scots-Irish improved as the already liberal suffrage began to broaden. By the end of the century the American population had reached over 5 million.
The United States began the 19th century with a population of about 6 million people (1800). As a result of the Revolutionary War, the 13 English colonies were non longer pinned up into a narrow coastal band east of the Allegheny Mountains. The United States now extend west to the Mississippi River. The original 13 states had reached 16 and in these mostly East Coast states was where the population was located--5.3 million of the 6.0 million, but the movement west had begun. Unexpectedly, the French Emperor Bonaparte offered to sell the vast Louisiana Territory to America, doubled the territory of the United States (1803). President Jefferson organized the Lewis and Clark Expedition to find out just what was out there--at the time except for the vital port of New Orleans, almost entirely Native Americans (1804-06). The United States outlawed the slave trade (1807), but there was an increase in the slave population through natural reproduction among the enslaved population. For most of the first half of the 19th century, immigration was mostly limited to lands east of the Mississippi and was still mostly people of British ancestry. Florida was acquired from the British and Spanish (1819). This had no significant demographic impact because the Spanish population was very small, and most of the Spanish population left. The largely British population established during the colonial and early republic period set the institutional and popular mindset of the American nation. And the more diverse waves of immigration to follow would be assimilated into the original British construct. After the War of 1812 and the Era of Good Feelings, the issue of slavery began to raise its ugly head/ Often not mentioned in the discussion of slavery is the fact that the English and American Abolitionist Movements, were the only two Abolitionist Movements of any real importance. Migration continued at relatively low levels, mostly from Britain during the first half of the 19th century. This first major demographic change began (1840s). Until the 1840s, the United States was a country of mostly British and Protestant citizens. The initial large non-British and non-Protestant immigrants were the Irish as a result of the deadly Potato Famine (1840s). At the same time, the Revolutions of 1848 set in motion immigration from Continental Europe, at first primarily the Germans. The Mexican War (1846-48) further expanded the territory of the Unites realizing the country's Manifest Destiny all the way to the Pacific Coast and introduced a Hispanic components in to America's ethnic mix for the first time. It was a still small component because the Mexican population in what is now the American Southwest was very small. During the Civil War (1861-65), Congress passed the Homestead Act (1862). This confirmed the pattern of reserving the land for family farms--a principle set by the Northwest Ordinance (1787). This often goes unnoticed with the dramatic events of the Civil War. It is too often seen as inevitable. But another nation acquired huge swaths of land during the 18th and 19th century--Tsarist Russia. And there the land was not reserved to family farms. In fact it was acquired by great aristocratic families. The impact of the future of these two great countries can not be overstated. The Civil War also resulted in the emancipation of some 4 million slaves of African ancestry in the southern slave states. Most of whom remained in the rural South. The Civil War discouraged mass migration for a time, but it accelerated industrialization which in the long run would attract more European immigrant seeking the higher wages paid in America along with greater freedom and opportunity. Mass migration soon began after the War. The Civil War was the deadliest war in American history. The immigrants quickly filled in the horrible losses from the Civil War--some 0.6 million men. The origins of the immigrants shifted from mostly Britain to Continental Europe, including for the the first time the mostly Catholic countries, beginning the creation of a much more diverse country. Germany continued to be important, but the immigrants came from all over Europe. France was an exception as was Spain were migrants generally headed for the new Latin American republics. Tsar Alexander III of Russia began a process of Russification and anti-Semetic terror, driving non-Russians and Jews from Russia, adding to the American ethnic mix (1880s). The Jews would have an especially important impact on America, far beyond their relatively small numbers. Until after World War I there were no limits on European immigration, except heath controls. There were limits on Asian immigrants entering California, but small populations of Chinese and Japanese arrived. Here the California Gold Rush was a huge attraction (1848). The United States had begun to industrialize in the mid-19th century which would be a major factor in the outcome of the Civil War. The pace of industrialization and urbanization would only increased after the Civil War. This primarily occurred in the northern states where a more entrepreneurial spirit promoted by free labor and a fine public education system dominated and would define the national character. Technical advances such as advances in ocean transport as well as increasing employment opportunities created by American economic expansion saw migration increase to unprecedented levels approaching one million immigrants annually. The opportunities to acquire land in the shrinking frontier was a factor in the migration, but increasingly the draw was jobs in America's burgeoning industrial economy. Other factors were to avoid military conscription and religious freedom. Ellis Island was opened (1892).
The American population rapidly expanded in the 19th century, both by domestic births and migration. In finally reached 100 million (1910s). Even before the turn of the 20th century, United States had built the world's largest economy, but in contrast to Europe refused to convert industrial power into military power. World War I was a short term exception. This isolationist orientation almost resulted in national disaster and the destruction of Western Civilization during World War II. The Spanish Flu Epidemic caused a short term blip population growth. For the first tine, the majority of Americans lived in cities (1920). This meant that the average size of the American family was declining. It is at this tome the United States introduced strict immigration limitations (1924). While this limited the arrival of new immigrants. The United States had a large population of immigrants that were only partly assimilated. Here the public schools were doing a fine job of beginning the assimilation process. The African-American population was until the 1910s a mostly rural southern population. The harsh treatment of African Americans in a escalated racial bigotry as well as limited economic opportunity set the Great Migration in motion. Another factor was the need for labor in the North because the flow of European migration was cut off by World War I (1910s). Eventually some 6 million African-Americans would move north. The Great Migration which converted African Americans to an important northern urban population. Some 6 million African-Americans migrated out of the South in what would be the largest domestic demographic shift in American history. Henry Ford invented the Model-T Tin Lizzie (1907), essentially putting Americans on wheels--motorized wheels. This accelerated a move from the cities to the sunburns. The Great Depression of the 1930s, slowed population growth, but accelerated urbanization and strangely enough education, with more teenagers attending secondary schools. World War I had major repercussions, but because America was involved for only a shirt time, they were limited. World War II had a far greater impact, leading the Civil Rights and Women's movements and a more open immigration system. The War and the Cold War that followed it would lead to America becoming a super power and generating unrepresented scientific advances leading to marvelous life changing innovations and while new industries. The United States population passed the 200 million mark (1960s). Immigration has led to major demographic shifts, especially a huge rise in the Hispanic population which began after World War II. Latin America has replaced Europe as the most important region origin for immigrants. As a result, Hispanic populations began a rapidly growth in the border states. New Mexico now has a majority Hispanic population. This has significantly affected American demographics. Germans long dominated as the largest immigrant ethnicity. By the end of the century in had become Hispanics. In addition non-Hispanic whites which had been the dominant American began drooping. Ethnic minorities tend to have a much higher birth rate than non-Hispanic white which combined with Hispanic immigration is radically altering the American ethnic profile. By the end of the century, these changes were still confined primarily to the Border States, but were beginning to reach urban areas in the rest of the country. There has also been a decline in the non-Hispanic white birth rate. Here factors including urbanization, the Women's Movement, and economic trends are involved, but unlike other Western countries, the population has not declined, primarily due to immigration.
The United States population passed the 300 million mark (2007) The population now stands at over 330 million increasingly diverse people in the latest Census (2020). The United States has the world's third-largest population (behind China and India). China as a result of the Communist one child policy is now going over a demographic cliff, but the Indian population continues to increase. The American population may reached to reach 400 million in the 2050s. Immigration trends in the late-20th century have led to immigration becoming a heated national debate. The Democratic Party turned the discussion into a human rights question and unspoken effort to import potential Democratic voters. Democratic cities throughout the country adopted sanctuary city status, refusing to cooperate with Federal efforts to control illegal immigration. This received considerable support among Democratic constituencies, because the problems associated with illegal migration were mostly confined to the border states. As a result there was little understanding of the basic fact that America and other Western countries can create welfare states or they can open their borders to migrants, but they cannot do both. No country can no matter how rich. It is simple mathematics. This realization did not become apparent to Democratic constituencies, especially African Americans, until President Biden opened the southern border (2021) and illegal aliens began arriving in big Democratic cities to claim the welfare benefits on offer such as free housing, food, and medical care This has impaired the ability of these cities to finance the welfare benefits offered American citizens. The proportion of non-Hispanic whites is expected to fall below 50 percent of the U.S. population by the mid-2000s, since President Biden opened the southern border (2021), this may occur even sooner. The American public school system in the 19th and much of the 20th century played a huge role in educating and assimilated the waves of immigarnts that came to America, Tragically the public school system with vast resources at their disposal are failing not only immigrant children, but a large number of native born Americans.
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