Although the 1870 Census was conducted under the provisions of the Census Act of 1850, a new act was passed on May 6, 1870. The new census legislation required two changes in procedures related to questionnaire return submission dates. Moreover, penalties for refusing to reply to inquires were expanded to apply to all questions and questionnaires. The questionnaires themselves had to be redesigned due to the end of the "slave questionnaire," as slavery had been formally abolished slavery nationwide via the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This left five schedules for the census: General Population, Mortality, Agriculture, Products of Industry, and Social Statistics. In addition, Charles W. Seaton, a U.S. Census Office chief clerk and later superintendent, invented a rudimentary tallying machine that partially alleviated the difficulties of tallying and tabulating questionnaire responses. Finally, the new superintendent for the Ninth Census, General Francis A. Walker (1840-1897), introduced employment examinations to test the qualifications of applicants to the Census Office, allowing for increased efficiency in the process of collecting census data.]]>
U.S. Census Office]]> U.S. Census Office, 1870.]]> U.S. Department of the Interior]]> U.S. Census Office, 1870.]]> U.S. Census Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> U.S. Census Office and published by the U.S. Department of the Interior.]]>
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    The Census Act of 1850 authorized the U.S. Census of 1860 and stipulated that its provisions be adhered to for all future decennial censuses should no new legislation be passed by the first of the year of said census. In May of 1865, the U.S. Census Office was abolished and many superintending clerks were transferred to the General Land Office.]]>
    U.S. Census Office]]> General Land Office]]> U.S. Census Office and the General Land Office, 1860.]]> U.S. Department of the Interior]]> U.S. Census Office and the General Land Office, 1860.]]> U.S. Census Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> U.S. Census Office and the General Land Office, and published by the U.S. Department of the Interior.]]>
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