Question

Native Americans once numbered in the ________ but by 2010, they made up only________ of U.S. population (U.S. Census 2010):

A) Millions, a small fraction
B) Thousands, the majority
C) Hundreds, a significant portion
D) Tens of thousands, a negligible percentage

Answer 1

The population of Native Americans was originally in the millions, but by 2010, they accounted for just 0.9 percent of the U.S. population.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer to the student's question about the population of Native Americans is: Native Americans once numbered in the millions, but by 2010, they made up only a small fraction of the U.S. population (U.S. Census 2010). Specifically, by 2010, Native Americans constituted only 0.9 percent of the U.S. population. This can be contrasted with the time before European contact, when the Indigenous population of the entire Western Hemisphere was estimated to be around seventy-five million, including more than six hundred groups or tribes in North America alone.

Historically, the decrease in the Native American population is largely attributed to factors such as disease, warfare, and displacement brought on by European colonization. However, today, statistics show that approximately 5 million people identify as Native American, making up less than 2 percent of the U.S population. Notably, only about a fifth of Native Americans currently live on reservations, as many have moved to urban areas.