Embodied Unreliability: Comparing Disability Rates Among Enslaved and Free U.S. Populations Using 1860 IPUMS Full-Count Data

Brayden Rothe, University of Minnesota

As the political and economic power of American slavery grew in the antebellum, so did efforts to define and subjugate black bodies. The U.S. Census included a question inquiring whether individuals were “Deaf & Dumb, Blind, Insane, or Idiotic.” However, in many cases, responses to this question among the enslaved population were provided not by the individuals themselves but by the census enumerator or the slaveowner. This study seeks to examine the prevalence of these reported disabilities among the enslaved population and assess the plausibility of these estimates by comparing rates to those documented among the free population. The research aims to identify and analyze disparities in reported disability rates. The analysis will utilize full-count data from the 1860 slave schedule, recently completed by the University of Minnesota to the 1860 IPUMS full-count free schedule, to provide insight into slave disabilities, enumerators, slave owning, and the nature of antebellum society.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 161. Demographic Shifts, Health Disparities, and Social Structures Using IPUMS Full Census Data