Premium
The age–sex structure of the slave population in Harris County, Texas: 1850 and 1860
Author(s) -
Hutchinson Janis
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/ajpa.1330740210
Subject(s) - demography , age structure , population , geography , differential effects , differential (mechanical device) , sex ratio , gerontology , sociology , biology , medicine , engineering , aerospace engineering , endocrinology
The effect of the slave system on demography can be revealed by examining the age–sex structure of slave populations. The age–sex structure of slaves in Harris County, Texas is investigated using the 1850 and 1860 slave schedules. Median ages for black and mulatto slaves suggest that the population was young. Population pyramids exhibit a narrow base and top with a broad middle. The high proportion of slaves between 10 and 30 years of age and the increase in population size between 1850 and 1860 were mainly related to the importation of slaves and only partly due to natural increase. The data also show that black slaves were older on small plantations while mulattoes were older on larger farms. It is suggested that differential treatment in terms of purchase practices, assignment of tasks, food allocation, and/ or differential susceptibility to infectious diseases may account for this pattern.