It may be hard to credit but there used to be a time when the public sphere wasn’t filled with squabbling about income tax rates. The familiar noise began 100 years ago today, when the 16th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, authorizing Congress to levy taxes on income. In its first two years, the tax was modest, affecting only a very few citizens and provided only a small part of the government’s total revenue. But the need to fund our involvement in World War I moved income taxes to the center of federal finances. In 2011, individuals paid around $1.7 trillion in federal income tax, while state and local income taxes amounted to $114 billion in just the second quarter alone of 2013. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.
Sunday, February 2nd. On this date in 1848, the United States and a defeated Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending their controversial war, which began in May 1846 after some mutual provocations. In the peace treaty, Mexico recognized America’s annexation of the Republic of Texas, with the Rio Grande being the border. In exchange for $15 million and other provisions, the U.S. obtained all or much of what are now six of our other southwestern states. Some 80,000 Mexicans were thereby included in the subsequent 1850 Census. Now, the number of Mexican-Americans in the U.S. has reached nearly 34 million, with about 9 million in Texas. You can find more facts about America’s people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey, at www.census.gov>.
Saturday, February 1st. February is Black History Month, a time to honor the many contributions to our nation’s history made by people of African descent. Started as a special week in 1926 by historian Carter G. Woodson, the observance is now a full month of activities across the country. African-Americans, in counting single race or in combination with others, number over 44 million in the U.S. By 2060, this figure is projected to reach over 77 million; about 18.4 percent of the country’s entire population. Although New York has the largest number of blacks of any state at over 3.5 million, Washington, D.C. has the highest percentage at over 52 percent. The next highest percentage at the state level is Mississippi at 38 percent. Throughout the entire South, African-Americans comprise 20 percent of the population. Profile America is in its17th year as a Public Service of the U.S. Census Bureau.