Map Showing In Five Degrees of Density the Distribution…of Foreign Parentage

The distribution of first generation Americans during the Reconstruction Era.

This intriguing analytical map of the eastern United States highlights the distribution of those with foreign parentage (father, mother or both). Heavy concentrations are shown in the Upper Midwest and New England. Somewhat faded blue text outlines the average number of inhabitants per square mile.

The map was originally issued as part of The Statistical Atlas of the United States Based on the Results of the Ninth Census, 1870, compiled by Census Superintendent Francis A. Walker. Lithographed by Julius Bien and published in 1874. The atlas serves as the ultimate 19th-century “data portrait” of a reunified nation, meticulously synthesizing geography, climate, and demographics into a visual manifesto of America’s industrial and economic potential.