Shining Light on a Statistical Dark Age

Postal Activity in Antebellum America

Bibliographic Data

ID19215231
AuthorsPaul W Rhode (University of Michigan, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume86
Issue2
Pages1-48
Publication date2026-04-30
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of Economic History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-0507 • E-ISSN: 1471-6372
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s002205072610134x
OpenAlexW7160170802
LanguageEN
References cited15

American economic historians generally believe that U.S. modern economic growth began before 1840, was broadly based, and the acceleration was gradual. These claims are treated as conjectures rather than solid conclusions because the census did not publish good economic data before 1840. But the earlier period was not a “statistical dark age,” as sometimes asserted. After 1817, systematic statistics on postal activity were available at the local level at high frequencies. These data shed light on the timing and sources of the onset of modern economic growth, the patterns of regional development, and the spread of a culture of communication

Census · Economic analysis · Economic data · Economic statistics · Period (music) · Publication · Culture, Economy, and Development Studies · Historical Economic and Social Studies · History of Computing Technologies

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