he figures show a striking contrast in growth between Brooklyn and
the other parts of New York City as now constituted, exclusive of
Brooklyn. The former had a comparatively small Negro population until
after 1860, but from 1790 the Negro population although small
increased steadily, except the one decade between 1810 and 1820. This
was a decrease of only 92 or 4.9 per cent of a population less than
2,000. Only one increase, from 1800 to 1810, was less than 13 per
cent. Beginning with 5,915 at the Federal census of 1790, the Negro
population of the other parts of New York City has shown a high per
cent of increase in numbers, above 15 per cent, at eight of the twelve
succeeding censuses, and 8.1 per cent and 5.5 per cent at two others.
The decreases from 1840 to 1850, 13.2 per cent, and from 1850 to 1860,
7.5 per cent, were probably due to the unfavorable sentiment against
the Negroes which arose during the abolition agitation of these
periods and which had its effect on the Negro's movements to and from
the city. The small increase from 1860 to 1870, 5.5 per cent, was very
probably the result of the same causes--of the Civil War disturbances
and the New York Draft riots, which deterred Negroes from coming to
New York City and sent many Negro residents away.[40] The figures for
Manhattan show a similar trend at each census. However, except the
periods noted above, there has been a general trend toward increase in
both Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Negro population has become a smaller
and smaller part of the total population from decade to decade since
1810, but this is because the several streams of foreign immigrants
have been large and not because the increase of the Negro population
has been small.

Table VIII, which follows, shows the growth of the total and the Negro
populations, and brings the full figures to view:

TABLE VIII. TOTAL AND NEGRO POPULATION OF NEW YORK CITY, AS AT PRESENT
CONSTITUTED, 1704-1910.[A]

-----+--------------------------------++--------------------------------
| New York City, exclusive of ||
| Brooklyn. || Brooklyn.
-----+----------------+---------------++----------------+---------------
| | Increase of || | Increase of
Year.| Population. | Negro || Population. | Negro
| | population. || | population.
-----+---------+------+-------+-------++-------