This is a proposal to create a nationally representative Public Use Sample of the 1850 census of the free inhabitants of the United States. Public use samples already exist for the census years 1880, 1900, 1910, 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, and 1980. The 1850 census is the first census of the United States which reported the characteristics of individuals rather than households. The 1850 census file will not only constitute an invaluable resource in its own right, but will enhance the value of the other public use samples. Used in combination, the nine data sets spanning 130 years will comprise a most valuable resource for the study of social change.
