Arbeitspapier
On the Biological Standard of Living of Eighteenth-Century Americans: Taller, Richer, Healthier
This study analyses the physical stature of runaway apprentices and military deserters based on advertisements collected from 18th-century newspapers, in order to explore the biological welfare of colonial and early-national Americans. The results indicate that heights declined somewhat at mid-century, but increased substantially thereafter. The findings are generally in keeping with trends in mortality and in economic activity. The Americans were much taller than Europeans: by the 1780s adults were as much as 6.6 cm taller than Englishmen, and at age 16 American apprentices were some 12 cm taller than the poor children of London.
- Language
-
Englisch
- Bibliographic citation
-
Series: Munich Discussion Paper ; No. 2003-9
- Classification
-
Wirtschaft
Economic History: Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations: U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
General Welfare; Well-Being
Health Behavior
Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy: U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
- Subject
-
Anthropometrics
Living Standards
18th century
colonial US
- Event
-
Geistige Schöpfung
- (who)
-
Komlos, John
- Event
-
Veröffentlichung
- (who)
-
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Volkswirtschaftliche Fakultät
- (where)
-
München
- (when)
-
2003
- DOI
-
doi:10.5282/ubm/epub.53
- Handle
- URN
-
urn:nbn:de:bvb:19-epub-53-0
- Last update
-
10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET
Data provider
This object is provided by:
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.
Object type
- Arbeitspapier
Associated
- Komlos, John
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Volkswirtschaftliche Fakultät
Time of origin
- 2003
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