Know:
Yellow Fever (how it impacted the society at that time)
Free African Society
Bush Hill
Dr. Rush
American Revolution
George Washington
French Cure
College of Physicians and Surgeons
Historical Events in American Plague
Young French sailor in a boarding house on North Water Street - AP p. 7 - August 3,
1793; died of it.
p 11 AP, August 19, 1793, Catherine LeMaigre was dying. Doctors Foulke & Hodge
call in Dr. Rush to advise.
F, p 20-21, August 16, 1793, talk in the coffeehouse of someone who had died of an
illness, they assumed it was yellow fever, said we haven't had yellow fever here in
30 yrs, Mary Shewall is one who died of a bilious fever, couldn't fault her character
AP, p 9, says that bells were ringing for the dead
F, p 32, talks about them ringing out the age of those that died; they later changed
this
F, p 32, Nathan was counting the ages of those that had died, age 21
AP, p 33, reference to church bells ceasing to ring; ordered to remain silent, almost
worse than the constant ringing
AP, p 2, Sloop Amelia, from Santo Domingo had anchored with a load of coffee that
had spoiled during the voyage, dumped on Ball's Wharf on Water Street
F, p 19, someone died, due to heap of rotting coffee on Ball's Wharf, foul stench,
noxious fumes are the killer, deadly miasma, August 16th, 1793
President Washington left Sept 10th (AP, p 42, & F, p248 in appendix)
He returned from Mount Vernon, Virginia, via Germantown (5 miles outside of
Philadelphia)
Left MV on Oct 28 and arrived Germantown on Nov 1st., p 95 of AP
Entered Philly on Nov 10, saw the plague had subsided and rode back the same day
to Germantown to inform congress members that it was safe to return to the city, p
100-101 AP
F, p 231-233, references how the president is back, along with members of the
cabinet, Nov 10, 1793.
Mr. Peale didn't have an assistant, so that is fictional (Nathaniel Benson), they did
stay in town and ate the live specimens, p 246 of appendix of Fever
Mattie wakes to frost, Oct 23, 1793, p 209
F, p 217, Nathaniel Benson, "we ate the specimens before they were treated with
arsenic and stuffed"
F, p 246 in appendix, the amazing Peale family
AP, 29-30, locked themselves inside the house to avoid the fever, Betsy (wife)
ventured into the garden and got ill. She died.
Ball's Wharf coffee incident
Washington's movements
Charles Wilson Peale really existed, but had no assistant
Washington really led the ..., but Captain William Farnsworth Cook of the
Pennsylvanian Fifth Regiment, F 153, he didn't exist, he says he served under
Washington
Rush references?
AP, p 15, Rush makes a reference to his earlier experience (when he was 16, serving
under a doctor) of yellow fever symptoms in Philadelphia, 1762
Free African Society, pp 47-55 in AP and Reverend Allen mentioned in F on page
175.
Dr. Rush wrote to Reverend Allen and the Free African Society asking them to help
with the sick
chance
p 167, F, Eliza speaks of the society, going home to home to help the sick.
Free African Society, pp 47-55 in AP
Attempts at prevention: vinegar, camphor, cannons, p 27, p 35, in American Plague;
using oil in rain barrels, p 26
College of Physicians
Historic Facts in both books:
Dates of start and end of epidemic
Movements of President Washington (leaving, returning to Philadelphia)
Believed fever caused by dumped coffee on Ball's Wharf
Charles Wilson Peale keeping his family closed up in the city, eating live specimens
Bells ringing for the dead
Dr. Rush's treatment
French Cure (?)
Free African Society
College of Physicians (?)
References to the Revolution (?)
Fictional elements inserted in Fever:
Eliza in Free African Society
Nathaniel Benson living with the Peale family
Grandfather, Captain William Farnsworth Cook, serving under Washington in the
Pennsylvanian Fifth Regiment during the Revolutionary War
Write 5 facts and one fiction
Facts
the role of the Free African Society
the suspected cause of the outbreak
the effectiveness of the French cure at Bush Hill
the disorganization of local and national government due to the plague
the significance of the movements of President Washington
the beginning and ending of the outbreak
the unique story of the Charles Wilson Peale family's survival
the effectiveness of the French cure at Bush Hill
the importance of the mayor and his committee
the significance of the ringing of the bells
Fiction
The fictional character Nathaniel Benson living with the Charles Wilson Peale family
as an apprentice painter
The fictional character Eliza living with Mattie's family and working with the Free
African Society
The fictional grandfather Captain William Farnsworth Cook serving under
Washington in the Pennsylvanian Fifth Regiment
Use transition words
A first
Another
Yet another
Next
Lastly, Finally
One more
Also
Intro: include titles, authors, and topic in first sentence
Include 5 facts & one fiction in last sentence (thesis statement)
body 1 (fact 1)
body 2 (fact 2)
body 3 (fact 3)
body 4 (fact 4)
body 5 (fact 5 & 1 fiction)
Conclusion: restate intro: what you set out to show
Intro:
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
An American Plague by Jim Murphy
Topic of books: the yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia in 1793
The yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia in 1793 is the subject of two fine books.
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson and An American Plague by Jim Murphy both
cover the facts of this epidemic. The details that both bring up are the following:
- the suspected cause of the outbreak
- the significance of the movements of President Washington
- the disorganization of local and national government due to the plague
- the importance of the mayor and his committee
- the effectiveness of "the French cure" at Bush Hill
- the details of Dr. Rush's treatment
- the role of the Free African Society
- the unique story of the Charles Wilson Peale family's survival.
Anderson, however, weaves a fictional tale around these facts, creating the
character of Nathaniel Benson/ Eliza. Let's explore the importance of these facts and
one fiction below.
A first
Another
Yet another
Next, in addition to..., as well as...,
One more
Also
Lastly/Finally, both books bring up the role of the Free African Society/ the unique
story of the Charles Wilson Peale family's survival. Anderson, however, inserts the
character of Eliza/Nathaniel into this organization/family's household.
living with the Charles Wilson Peale family as an apprentice painter
The fictional character Eliza living with Mattie's family and working with the Free
African Society