Introduction
Between August 1 and November 9, 1793, approximately 11,000 people contracted yellow fever in the US capital of Philadelphia. Of that number, 5,000 people, 10 percent of the city’s population, died. The epidemic created panic in the capital, causing 17,000 people, including President Washington and other members of the federal government, to flee to the countryside. Much has been written on this topic, beginning in the days of the epidemic and continuing into the 21st century.
Thus guide is designed to provide some starting points for research on Yellow Fever in 1793 Philadelphia.
Books
Bring Out Your Dead by Call Number: E-book +Print (Alkek General, Floor 6 RC211.P5 P6 1970 )ISBN: 0812291174Publication Date: 2014
A Melancholy Scene of Devastation by Call Number: Alkek General, Floor 6 RC211.P5 M44 1997ISBN: 9780881351927Publication Date: 1997
Websites
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Politics of yellow fever in Alexander Hamilton's America | NLM.An exhibit from the National Library of Medicine. "Doctors, politicians, and the people of Philadelphia used the 1793 yellow fever epidemic to advance their respective agendas. Explore how different groups of people responded to the crisis."
Articles
- Negotiating the Health of the Public: Yellow Fever in 1793 Philadelphia.Provides a lesson plan[from Univ. of Penn] that uses primary and secondary sources to show the balance between public and private decisionmaking during the 1793 yellow fever crisis in Philadelphia.
- A Cloak to Hide the Heart of a Viper: The Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia.The article discusses the Yellow Fever epidemic that afflicted Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1793. The efforts of medical doctors, particularly Dr. Benjamin Rush, to find a cure for the disease are examined.
- RACE, COMMERCE, AND THE LITERATURE OF YELLOW FEVER IN EARLY NATIONAL PHILADELPHIA.During the Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic of 1793 many African Americans nursed the sick and transported the dead. Accusations against them of widespread extortion of high wages and theft resulted in conflict between publisher Mathew Carey and African American leaders Richard Allen and Absalom Jones.
SEE ALSO: Primary Sources tab above for links to these works.