Sample Data

All energy values are placeholder estimates for development. No historical claim is made. Real data integration is Phase 5.

Unmetered

Estimating the energy extracted from enslaved Africans in building the United States — by county, by year, across four dimensions. A project of the Young People's Project.

Math LabkWh Calculator
Energy category

All four categories combined

Total Energy — 1850
5.9B kWh
estimated across all states in sample
Enslaved population (sample states)
3,200,600
16 states with data
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1850
Compromise of 1850
16151865

Historical boundaries: This map uses modern boundaries. County/state lines changed significantly 1615–1865. Historical boundary crosswalk is planned for a later phase.

Modeling rubric: Productive energy = population × ~1,200 kWh/person/year (sustained manual labor metabolic rate). Foreclosed energy = mortality above baseline × years lost × average annual output. All rates are provisional — the rubric itself is part of the deliverable.