Question 51

English ancestry predominated at the time of the first census.

At the time of the first census in 1790, more than 80% of the white citizens in the United States traced their ancestry back to England, making English ancestry the predominant group.

A) Native Americans

While there were close to one million Native Americans present at the time of the census, they were not counted in significant numbers as they were only included if they paid taxes. Therefore, Native Americans did not constitute the predominant ancestry in the population counted.

B) Negroes

The census recorded around 60,000 "free Negroes" and close to 700,000 enslaved individuals, but collectively, they did not represent the majority of the population. This demographic, while significant, did not outweigh the number of individuals of English ancestry.

C) English

This option is correct as the passage explicitly states that more than 80% of the white citizens traced their ancestry back to England at the time of the first census, making it the predominant ancestry among the recorded population.

D) Hispanic

Although the extract mentions that people of Hispanic origin were present on the continent before European settlers, it does not indicate that they were a significant part of the population counted in the 1790 census. Therefore, Hispanic ancestry was not dominant at that time.

Conclusion

The evidence from the passage clearly identifies English ancestry as the predominant group at the time of the first census, with over 80% of white citizens tracing their roots to England. All other options, while they represent important groups within the population, do not match the predominance of English ancestry as described in the extract.