Crisis and Society: The 1793 Philadelphia Yellow Fever Epidemic

Essential Question and Theoretical Framework

• Core Essential Question: The primary focus of this study is to answer: "How can times of crisis affect citizens and society?"

• Suggested Student Understandings:

  • Causality and Scope: A single underlying cause is capable of producing a vast and diverse range of effects across different sectors of society.

  • Patterns of Human Behavior: Specific, recurring patterns of human behavior typically emerge during a crisis. These behaviors are fundamentally driven by internal and external factors, including:

    • Fear: The instinctive reaction to danger or the unknown.

    • Compassion: The drive to help others despite personal risk.

    • Impulse to Understand the Unknown: The human necessity to rationalize and explain chaotic events.

    • The Will to Survive: The fundamental drive for self-preservation.

  • Individual Choice vs. Social Determinants: While every individual possesses the agency to determine their personal response to a crisis, their experience is significantly shaped and influenced by social factors, specifically:

    • Gender: How societal roles for men and women dictate their involvement or vulnerability.

    • Race: The disparate impact of crisis based on racial identity and social standing.

    • Class: The influence of wealth, resources, and status on an individual's ability to navigate or survive a crisis.

  • The Importance of Science: Scientific knowledge is identified as an essential prerequisite for effectively addressing and resolving medical crises.

  • Crisis as a Catalyst: A crisis does not exclusively result in negative outcomes; it frequently serves as a bridge or catalyst for positive advancements in individuals, the broader society, and the field of medicine.

Academic Knowledge Goals and Learning Objectives

• Historical and Social Contextualization:

  • Students must describe aspects of late eighteenth-century Philadelphian life.

  • This includes intensive study of living conditions, political structures, and social norms.

  • Analysis must be provided on how the yellow fever epidemic affected these factors and, conversely, how these existing factors exacerbated the epidemic.

• Medical and Scientific Evolution:

  • Students are required to explain how eighteenth-century medical practices and a general lack of scientific understanding directly contributed to the spread of the epidemic and its deleterious (harmful) effects.

  • Investigation into how the epidemic provided a unique, albeit tragic, opportunity to deepen scientific knowledge and change medical paradigms.

• Individual and Reciprocal Impact:

  • Analysis of the specific impact that individuals had on the trajectory of the crisis.

  • Analysis of the reciprocal effect the crisis had on the development and lives of those individuals.

• Societal Stratification:

  • Describe the specific roles of race, gender, and social class in early American society.

  • Analyze exactly how these three factors influenced the lived experiences of individuals during the 1793 crisis.

• Research Methodology:

  • Students should gain a comprehensive understanding of the purposes, benefits, and the specific process involved in academic research.

Core Instructional Texts and Resources

• Informational Core Text:

  • An American Plague by Jim Murphy. This text provides the historical account of the events.

• Literary Core Text:

  • Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. This novel offers a fictionalized, human-centered perspective on the epidemic.

• Visual Primary Source (Painting):

  • The Artist in His Museum by Charles Willson Peale (Accessible via: http://witeng.link/0389).

Supplementary Texts and Research Materials

• Articles and Digital Collections:

  • “Q & A”: An interview piece by Jim Murphy (Accessible via: http://witeng.link/0407).

  • “The Yellow Fever Epidemic in Philadelphia, 1793”: Provided by the Harvard University Library Open Collections Program (Accessible via: http://witeng.link/0386).

  • “Yellow Fever”: General information from the U.S. National Library of Medicine (Accessible via: http://witeng.link/0399).

  • “Yellow Fever: Symptoms and Treatment”: Clinical data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Accessible via: http://witeng.link/0387).

• Film and Multimedia:

  • Philadelphia: The Great Experiment: Produced by History Making Productions (Accessible via: http://witeng.link/0412).

• Additional Visual Arts:

  • The Long Room, Interior of Front Room in Peale’s Museum: A painting by Charles Willson Peale (Accessible via: http://witeng.link/0391).

• Poetry and Literature:

  • “Invictus”: A poem by William Ernest Henley, used to explore themes of resilience and the human spirit (Accessible via: http://witeng.link/0413).

• Video Presentations and Readings:

  • “2014 Three Minute Thesis Winning Presentation”: A video by Emily Johnston (Accessible via: http://witeng.link/0398).

  • “Invictus” Video Reading: A performance by Morgan Freeman (Accessible via: http://witeng.link/0414).