University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The Distribution of Population in the American Colonies in the Revolutionary Period

Sutherland, Stella Helen

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Description

Title
The Distribution of Population in the American Colonies in the Revolutionary Period
Author(s)
Sutherland, Stella Helen
Issue Date
1931
Department of Study
History
Discipline
Demography
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D. (doctoral)
Degree Level
Dissertation
Date of Ingest
2025-06-17T10:32:34-05:00
Keyword(s)
  • Revolutionary period
  • American colonies
  • Colonial governments
Language
eng
Abstract
Both the numbers of the population of the American colonies in 1775 and the distribution of that population have long been the object of speculation. It is the purpose of this study to draw some conclusions as to the number of people in each colony, to show by means of maps the location of that population, and to explain its concentration and distribution. Like other ambitions, this one has been modified by conditions and by circumstances.The growth of population in the American colonies interested colonial governments mainly in order that they might know how heavy the tax levy need be to meet the necessary expenses of the year, and how many soldiers they could count upon in case of Indian attack. The most determined efforts to discover the number of people in the colonies came from the Lords of Trade, and two of the stock questions sent out to the governors were, "How many people are there in the colony?" "Has the population declined or increased in the last ten years ?" Conscientious governors felt the need of census returns in order to answer these question accurately; governors less careful about the accuracy of their replies sent estimates based upon the number of taxables.
Type of Resource
text

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