"History gives us plenty of episodes of deflationary growth, such as America after the civil war during resumption of the metallic standard." You're referring

"History gives us plenty of episodes of deflationary growth, such as America after the civil war during resumption of the metallic standard." You're referring to the period known as "The Long Depression", from 1873 to 1896? It had an extremely high unemployment rate during the quarter century that it lasted. Ten states went bankrupt. The US manufacturing output virtually stagnated, with periods of significant decline.