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This article discusses fertility transition in France and the United States during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The author notes that a decline in fertility occurred earlier in France than in the U.S. because of the later marriage age in France, causing the population of France to grow only slightly during the nineteenth century. The article provides an examination of the modern small family, as well as the impact of contraception on French and U.S. family dynamics. Finally examined is the role of the prohibition movement in the U.S. as an attempt to control population numbers.