An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. During the yellow fever outbreak, medical professionals were not able to reach consensus on how to stop the transmission of the virus.

• Why did medical professionals during this time disagree? (topic sentence)
• Find one example from the text in which there was disagreement between medical professionals regarding the outbreak and describe it in detail.
• How does this specific disagreement speak to the larger theme of Folk Remedies Versus Science?

2. Consider the role that race played in the yellow fever outbreak.

• In what ways were African American citizens involved in supporting sick Philadelphians during the outbreak? (topic sentence)
• Describe one example from the text of how African Americans supported the sick community during the outbreak.
• How does the way in which African Americans were treated after helping with the outbreak speak to the larger theme of Racial Dynamics in Philadelphia?

3. From the onset, wealthier Philadelphians were afforded more privileges during the outbreak.

• Why were wealthier Philadelphians more fortunate than poorer citizens when the crisis struck? (topic sentence)
• Describe one example from the text in which wealthier residents were able to avoid falling ill while poorer residents were not.
• How did Philadelphia’s Urban Class Structure benefit upper-class individuals during public health crises?

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Compare and contrast the variety of initial responses to the yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia. What did some people believe were the causes of the virus? How did the variety of beliefs shape how politicians handled the outbreak?

2. Consider the effects of the yellow fever outbreak on public health codes in the US. For example, how did Philadelphia’s health codes change in the aftermath of the yellow fever epidemic? What improvements were made to the city? What did not improve? Did yellow fever affect other cities? If so, how?

3. In what ways is yellow fever still a potential threat in modern society? Based on Murphy’s final chapter, do you believe that the situation in Philadelphia in 1793 is likely to occur again in the US? Why or why not?