The Sum of the People: How the Census Has Shaped Nations, from the Ancient World to the Modern Age
Press Release · Monday, October 26, 2020

Washington, DC

On Wednesday, October 28, at noon (ET), the National Archives will host a virtual book talk with data scientist Andrew Whitby on The Sum of the People: How the Census Has Shaped Nations, from the Ancient World to the Modern Age. Register to attend. Watch the program livestreamed on the National Archives YouTube channel.

Book Talk: The Sum of the People: How the Census Has Shaped Nations, from the Ancient World to the Modern Age
Wednesday, October 28, at noon
In April 2020, the United States embarked on the decennial population census. It is part of a tradition of counting people that goes back at least three millennia and now spans the globe. In The Sum of the People, author Andrew Whitby traces the remarkable history of the census. Marvels of democracy, instruments of exclusion, and at worst, tools of tyranny and genocide, censuses have always profoundly shaped the societies we've built.

National Archives Museum
The Rotunda of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, is open for viewing the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights with limited capacity from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Reserve timed entry tickets (use Internet Explorer for best results). All other exhibits are closed at this time. Read details of the reopening in the National Archives news release. More information, including the operating status of facilities around the country, is available on the agency's Coronavirus resource page.