Official population censuses are the primary sources of information about the composition and distribution of a specific set of people over time. The Virgin Islands is fortunate in having available for research a total of fifteen, near-complete censuses for the period 1835 to 1940. They document in a variety of ways the transition from slavery to freedom, the final decades of Danish rule and the initial impact of American colonialism. The attached 1850 census return from St. Thomas reflects the multi-cultural composition of the Charlotte Amalie population at its peak period of prosperity during Danish rule.
In this activity, students will use questions from the Analyze a Written Document worksheet to examine a Danish West Indies census from 1850. They will discuss the diversity of the population in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas.
About
Primary Sources in this Activity
Suggested Teaching Instructions
Before beginning this activity, help students to understand what a primary source is, have students provide examples of primary sources, help them with examples if needed, discuss why a written document can be a primary source, and discuss the difference between primary sources and secondary sources.
Ask students if they know what a census is. Help them understand what a census is, and why they are taken today. The teacher may want to share some of the information from the About section to give students a background on the census they are going to look at.
Load the census onto an interactive smart board and have students make observations together. If there is not a smart board, students can work in small groups at computers.
Also load the Analyze a Written Document worksheet on the smart board or on computers so that you can lead students through discussing their answers to questions on the worksheet.
