Students will need just one color pencil for this line graph.  Red is a good choice.  Students should place small dots on the graph for the data, then connect the dots with straight lines.  Most students can do this freehand, but the edge of a ruler or index card can be used as well.

What the Chart Shows

   This graph shows the remarkable increase in population in the U.S. during the period from 1800 to the Civil War.  America was expanding westward in these years, and conditions were healthy compared to most other parts of the world.  In addition, immigration brought millions of people to the United States.
 
 

   Students will need just one color pencil for this bar graph.  Green is a good choice.  Notice that data is not available for the first two decades, so the graph begins with the decade 1820 - 1829.  Be sure students can convert the numbers in the table to the numbering on the graph.  129,000 is equal to 0.129 million, so the first bar will be very short.  (Each small mark represents 0.1 million, or 100,000.)

What the Chart Shows

   This chart shows that immigration rose rapidly during the period from 1820 to 1860.  During the last decade before the Civil War, nearly 3 million immigrants arrived in the U.S. 
 
 

   "What conclusions can you..."
 

   The charts show that conditions were favorable for population growth in these years, and attracted millions of people from other lands. 
   A key factor in population growth is the health of the population.  Crowded cities can spread disease quickly, especially if the population is under stress from hunger, overwork, etc.  America's cities were growing, and sometimes epidemics did spread.  But by and large, most Americans at this time lived in rural areas, and most, even in cities, were relatively well fed. 

   Compared to conditions in much of Europe, America must have seemed very attractive to ordinary Europeans.  Land was available at low prices.  Social class divisions were still quite rigid in most of Europe, but were much less restrictive in America. 
   One factor that is extremely bad for population growth and immigration, of course, is war.  America was involved in two wars during this period, the War of 1812 and the Mexican War.  Neither, however, were particularly deadly or destructive.