Sickness and Stagnation: The Interplay of Disease and Markets in 1819

Abstract (Lang: English):

Outbreaks of yellow fever magnified the financial and social impact of the Panic of 1819. Sweeping through major Atlantic and Gulf ports, yellow fever disrupted normal circulation of people, money, and goods through commercial nodes. Economic hardship in 1819 may have added to its force by trapping some people in infected cities. Drawing examples from New York, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Mobile, this article shows that yellow fever fed into and fed off of economic distress in 1819.