How Can Times of Crisis Affect Citizens and Society?

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on the lecture notes and reading list regarding the 1793 Yellow Fever epidemic and its societal impact.

Yellow Fever Epidemic of $1793$

A significant medical crisis in Philadelphia that highlighted the impact of eighteenth-century medical practices and a lack of scientific understanding on the spread of disease.

An American Plague

An informational core text written by Jim Murphy that provides a historical account of the epidemic.

Fever $1793$

A literary core text novel written by Laurie Halse Anderson set during the Philadelphia crisis.

Essential Question

How can times of crisis affect citizens and society?

Patterns of human behavior

Responses that emerge during a crisis driven by factors such as fear, compassion, an impulse to understand the unknown, and the will to survive.

Social factors

Elements such as gender, race, and class that influence an individual’s experience of a crisis.

Scientific knowledge

A factor described as essential to effectively addressing medical crises and serving as a tool to deepen understanding during an epidemic.

Catalyst for change

The role a crisis can serve in sparking positive transformations in individuals, society, and the field of medicine.

The Artist in His Museum

A painting by Charles Willson Peale used as a core text for studying the era of the crisis.

Late eighteenth-century Philadelphia

The setting of the epidemic, characterized by specific living conditions, political structures, and social norms.

Invictus

A poem by William Ernest Henley featured in the supplementary texts, also associated with a video reading by Morgan Freeman.

Philadelphia: The Great Experiment

A film by History Making Productions used to analyze the historical context of the crisis.

The Long Room

An interior painting of the front room in Peale’s Museum created by Charles Willson Peale.

Emily Johnston

The presenter of the "$2014$ Three Minute Thesis Winning Presentation" used as a supplementary video text.