Blue Legacy: Life In Colonial America During The Summer Of 1793

The colonies were by no means homogeneous. Lifestyle, customs, and demographics differed among the different regions of the colonies. Even by the 18th century, divisions between various regions and colonies existed. One of the manifestations of the diversity of colonial life was in one of its most persistent and pervasive institutions: slavery. Slavery existed on social, cultural, economic, and political levels. Although there are some common themes of slavery throughout the colonies such as the brutalization of slaves, and the basic means of using free labor to boost the economy, there were some key differences to the way slavery was practiced, how it was perceived, how it was supported by law, and how slavery fit into local economy and culture. These differences parallel the greater differences that existed between the different regions of colonial America.

Bathhouses were shut down leading to little personal cleanliness and more disease outbreak. When large outbreaks such as the Black Death did occur, quarantines were used but often failed. In addition to that, prostitution was made easier. The government forced prostitutes to wear certain clothing so everyone would know who they were. This not only objectified women, but also made it easier for men to purchase their services. Since prostitutes were easier to find, sexual diseases were able to spread much more easily. With disease everywhere, the health of individuals was a t risk and the government’s help was of little

In American industrial cities, late 1800s, Poor neighborhood were not the best place to live. With poor living conditions, poor sanitation and crowded housing, many epidemics of infectious disease spread into the poor population and touched even the wealthy class. Cities such as New York were crowded and workers were living in tenements, which were often cramped, poorly lit and poorly aerated. Moreover, these tenements lacked of adequate plumbing, therefore waste was flooding in the public streets. Streets was crowded of waste and garbage. Population was poorly nourished and has a poor life hygiene like water pollution and poisoned food and milk. Accordingly, infectious disease was the common death reason. Big cities had known outbreaks of

People had no hope of ending this terrible plague. Many doctors and nurses were doing their best to help cure the fever and end the Yellow Fever madness forever. All was lost until the cold front eliminated Philadelphia’s mosquito population and the death toll fell to 20 per day by October 26. People were happy that the Yellow Fever had finally ended. Over the years better medical treatments had been improved over the years. They began to use treatment that didn’t involve letting a person bleed to death or any other dangerous treatments that could hurt someone. Today, there is a vaccine that prevents the Yellow Fever around world.

In the early 1900’s medicine was making some steps closer into some great improvements for health and better understanding of the human body. Doctors with sufficient knowledge of the human body and cures for diseases and viruses were scarce. People were much more concerned with government and politics, than health and medicine, until one of the greatest and most grotesque lethal pandemics that’s struck the earth in human history. This pandemic the “Spanish Flu” spread so rapidly and had an extremely high mortality rate. This was caused by the close contact of humans and poor cleanliness and sanitation, and the host (virus) and the body taking harsh action

France was at war with many countries. John Adams later would write 10,000 citizens marched in Philadelphia, threatening to drag Washington and make him declare war. Adams thought that the yellow fever prevented chaos. At the start, people believed that the two-thousand five-hundred city’s African-Americans were immune to the fever. Philadelphians initially blamed the outbreak on refugees from France. People believe the disease spread person to person. Recommendation for ridding of the disease were smoking tobacco, cleaning yourself with vinegar, carrying a tarred rope, covering the floors of rooms with a two-inch-deep layer of dirt, chewing garlic, hanging a bag of camphor around your neck, lighting bonfires, and setting off guns in the

During the time period of late colonial and revolutionary America, change emerged with great occurrence. Society and the individuals that shaped its very being were influenced greatly by not just the land around them, but the people who came forth and represented it. From 1787 to 1861, America experienced an increased fluctuate of these particular individuals. For example Alexander Hamilton, Frederick Douglas, and Andrew Jackson. Each of those named reigned in their own quarters leaving an influential mark in cultural and political domains. One being one of America’s founding fathers, another being a highly revered social reformer, and lastly one who served as the seventh president of the United States. To be a white man owning a considerable amount of property meant that their “voice” was valid, considerably they had a decision on the direction America would go. However, not everyone fit into the standards that defined the white man who held a voice. To be alive during the time of a highly judgmental society having a voice was faced with high criticism. It was background information and social status swayed over the people. Diversity between these two factors shaped the voices of American society, molding experience into the men and women who left their influence on American history.

To begin, the Philadelphian doctors insist of taking out 162 ounces (over a long period of time) of blood out the the yellow fever victim. Second of all, they (Philadelphian doctors) splash water on the patient's. In paragraph 3 it says, “Throw a few buckets of cold water on the patient.”. Alongside, the French doctors make the victims take a ice cold bath instead. Last of all, the American doctors burned nitre so the patients could inhale it. It reads in paragraph 2 “Burn nitre (potassium nitrate) and inhale the

In colonial America in the late 1700s, the states were not unified under a single form of government. They were under British imperial rule, which proved to be a constant struggle for the colonists In the late 1700s, America was in a state of political, social and economic unrest. For example, certain significant events such as the Proclamation of 1763, the Sugar Act of 1764, and… ??? Eventually, these events contributed to the American Revolution starting in 1765, where the colonists rebelled against British power. This period of time ultimately was the beginning of The United States as an independent country. Finally, in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was drafted, which allowed the United States to officially break away from British rule.

British America was mired with economic and religious conflicts starting from the Age of Exploration up to the colonial times. The corruption of the Anglican Church created a rift between the Protestants of England, Puritans and the extreme Separatists. The Protestant Reformation and Henry VIII’s divorce with the Catholic Church gave rise to even more chaos. As a result, religious sects such as the Quakers and the Puritans were granted charters to escape the restrictions in England. Competition between Great Britain, Spain and the Dutch spurred the English Monarchs to seek for opportunities overseas. England was eager to catch up and expand westward as it saw potential in the New World after the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Yet

Jim Murphy, in his nonfictional narrative An american Plague, describes in vivid detail the challenges faced by the citizens of Philadelphia during the devastating Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. During the dreadful and deadly time, there were many selfless volunteers to stepped forward to help. Mayor Matthew Clarkson was one of the brave individuals who chose to stay in Philadelphia to provide leadership, despite the danger. Through his strong sense of duty, his selflessness, and unwavering perseverance, Mayor Clarkson became a symbol of heroism for all the selfless volunteers who stayed and made a real difference in Philadelphia.

In Laurie Halse Anderson’s 2000 novel Fever 1793, Matilda Cook, the main character, and her family face sickness, death, fear, and mistrust that build them into stronger and more independent characters. The story takes place in Philadelphia in 1793. Matilda, also known as Mattie, lives with her mother, Lucille Cook, and works at a coffee shop that Mattie’s grandfather, Polly, their servant, and Eliza, a free black women, work at as well. Polly dies in the beginning of the story, and this is what starts the spread of rumors that there is a disease spreading around town, known as yellow fever. Mattie’s mother eventually falls ill, and a doctor diagnosis her with yellow fever. This causes Mattie and her grandfather to leave town, but they are unable to succeed in their journey from home because they become ill themselves. Mattie and her grandfather are cared for in a hospital, and they return home once they are well enough. When returning home, they find that their coffee shop has been broken into, and that Mattie’s mother and Eliza are nowhere to be found. After the all the difficulties that Mattie continues to face, the coffee shop re-opens, Mattie’s mother returns, and the city clears of yellow fever. Mattie learns how to care for others and herself, and how to deal with extreme sickness that later makes her a stronger individual, and this makes the novel a good example to readers on how to remain strong during hard times.

During the Yellow Fever Epidemic in 1793 in Philadelphia, 5,000 people were dead in August 1 and November 9. A Lot of people from philadelphia died of yellow fever, making the epidemic in the city of United States history. By the end of September, 20,000 people left the city. The deaths were in October, when the coldness killed the mosquitoes and brought an end to the epidemic in November. Doctors tried different treatments, but knew neither the start of the fever and still didn't know it was by mosquitoes which was until the late 19th century.

The historical research done into the lives of the principals, details of historical events and of the virus of yellow fever. As Crosby asserts, yellow fever came from West Africa to the United States on slave ships, is carried by mosquitoes and thrives in warm and wet environments (History.com Staff, 2009). However, in the book Crosby focuses the view of the history of yellow fever in the United States on the Memphis epidemic of 1878. While this was a massive epidemic and the worst one in American history, (Crosby, 41), the research leaves out other major predecessors to the Memphis epidemic. The Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic in 1793 depopulated the nation’s capital at similar levels and was the first major outbreak in the United States (Graham, 2016). Outbreaks continued. The outbreak in New Orleans in 1853, settled in the perfect environment for an outbreak, killed a whopping 7,849 (Waits, 2016). Though these epidemics and others are mentioned in Crosby’s account, they are presented as more of an afterthought than an important part of the history of yellow fever as they

In the spring of 1918, the first wave of one of the deadliest influenza pandemics began plaguing its victims (Peters, ix). Over the span of three lethal waves, the pandemic claimed approximately forty million victims, eradicating nearly twenty percent of the entire world’s population, or about one out of five individuals (Peters, ix). To make matters more dire, the ill-suited medical community was exceptionally unprepared for such a wide-scale pandemic: Doctors had very basic tools, knew little about diseases, and had no experience with vaccinations or prevention (Peters, 1-5; “The 1920s: Medicine and Health: Overview”, n.p.). People blindly faced the epidemic, relying on folk remedies such as consuming wine, drinking antiseptic, and