Public Health Engagement From Enslavement and “Indians Not Taxed” to Census Tracts and Health Equity (1790–2018)

The US Census is—and was designed to be—a potent political instrument.1–3 The first census ever to be mandated by a country’s constitution, its declared role, since its advent in 1790, was and is to count the US population every 10 years to determine, via legislatively determined algorithms, the democratic allocation of political representation in the US Congress.1–3 Governance, moreover, requires resources, and US Census data continually inform taxation policies and allocation of government funds.1–3 Aff ecting political power, governance, and the distribution of resources for the public welfare, the census is critical for the public’s health.

READ the entire article here