Well, there was no real census until 1790, so such discussions are a little vague BUT... Theodore Roosevelt wrote a thorough history of New York that did discuss this question at length: here's a link to it: http://www.bartleby.com/171/8.html.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.