The Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No. 1, July, 1863, page 109 by Various Authors
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dea of what in reality constitutes an American democracy being still exceedingly nebulous to the European mind.
Thirdly, we have borne too long the imputation thus cast on us, for our own good in the management of our own affairs. Already expression has been given to threats of ultimate division of the North into separate nationalities, on the ground that we have no common interests and no common origin. It seems well, therefore, to investigate the data at hand, and to see if the South be so united or the North so divided as alleged.
A few tables, prepared from the official Census returns, will serve to place the question in a clear light, and they will be easily confirmed or rejected.
I assume in the following table that the inhabitants of the United States were citizens by birth, and by deducting at the end of each decade the number of immigrants, we have what may fairly be claimed as the percentage of natural increase. I have added the slight excess over the percentage to the column of native born, believing this advantage at least belongs to them:
WHITE POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES.
TABLE NO. I.--INCREASE AND IMMIGRATION.
-----+--------+----------+----------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ |Percent | Total | Natives. |Aliens.|Aliens.|Aliens.|Aliens.| Date.| of | per | | | | | | |Natural | Census. | 1790. | 1800. | 1810. | 1820. | 1830. | |Increase| | | | | | | -----+--------+----------+----------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ 1790 | | 3,172,464| 3,172,464| | | | | | 33.7 | | 1,071,971| 50,000| | | | | | |----------+-------| | | | 1800 | | 4,294,435| 4,244,435| 50,000| | | | | 34.4 | | 1,465,290| 16,200| 70,000| | | | | |----------+-------+-------| | | 1810 | | 5,845,925| 5,709,725| 66,200| 70,000| | | | 32.1 | | 1,835,672| 21,250| 22,470|114,000| | | | |----------+-------+-------+-------+ | 1820 | | 7,839,317| 7,545,397| 87,450| 92,470|114,000| | | 32.1 | | 2,424,228| 28,071| 29,781| 36,594|151,824| | | |----------+-------+-------+-------+-------| 1