Social Consequences of Nascent Markets: Emergence and Growth of Begging in 1859-1880 Denver

Abstract

This study explores indigence as a potential by-product of newly-formed markets, and inquires into the factors from which this indigence might develop. Both are addressed via historical research, in the context of 19th-century Denver, Colorado, U.S., using beggars as a proxy for the indigent. Data from period newspapers indicates that begging emerged concurrently with Denver’s 1858 foundation. By 1880 it reached significant proportions. Consistent with the literature, Denver begging derived from interrelated micro, meso, and macro factors: Immigration, venture failure, vice, economic reactivation, proletarianization, lack of social support, government policy, environmental degradation, racial discrimination, and personal choice. These ten factors mirror some of the issues still confronting Denver and other cities/countries today. We conclude that indigence does not necessarily result from personal flaws, nor is it an anomaly of otherwise well-operating markets. It can be a byproduct of larger, more complex market systems, exacerbated by the canons of laissez-faire economics. Historical marketing research enhances how current market issues are understood.