Fever 1793
Newspaper Project
(100 points)
Using the novel Fever 1793 and Internet links you will research, write, and edit a newspaper from Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania in 1793. There is a shortage of paper, and you realize that the next edition will be the last one for
awhile. You have just enough paper to put out a two page edition.
Process:
1. Since you will be writing a 1793 newspaper, you need to know what a newspaper from that time period looks
like. Use the following sites to get an idea of the font style and format of the similar product that you will be
creating (Obviously, because it is now 2009 your product will be enhanced with color and images, but you still
want it to have an “Early American” style to it.)
Philadelphia Gazette, 1754 (http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0601/images/franklin_4.jpg)
Gazette of the United States
National Gazette, 1791
2. After getting an idea of what your paper should look like you now will need to do research using the library
databases. Using noodletools you will provide a bibliography with at least eight sources as well as least ten
notecards paraphrasing the information that you found during your research.
3. Your newspaper will be created using Microsoft Publisher and will consist of the following:
1.
2.
3.
A title for your newspaper, along with the date (2 points)
Three time appropriate pictures each with captions (2 points each)
A doctor’s memo about the symptoms and treatments for yellow fever. (Written from either the
perspective of Dr. Benjamin Rush or Dr. Jean Deveze, a French physician) (10 points)
4. An article about one of the following famous people mentioned in the novel. (Jean Pierre Blanchard,
Benjamin Rush, Charles Wilson Peale, Richard Allen, or Stephan Girard) ***If your doctor’s memo is
written from Dr. Rush’s perspective you may not write your famous people article about him.*** (10
points)
5. An article referencing the Free African Society and their role during the fever. (10 points)
6. An article about colonial fashion which references traditional colonial fashion and the new French styles
that were beginning to influence the colonies. (10 points)
7. An obituary for a character from the book that died. (10 points)
8. An interview with a character from the book that helped yellow fever victims. (5 questions/five answers)
(10 points)
9. A recipe for one of the colonial dishes mentioned in the novel. (5 points)
10. A time appropriate advertisement (for a service, place, or product) (2 points)
11. The incorporation of five vocabulary terms into any portion of your newspaper (5 points)
Databases/Links for Research
Access Student Resource Center and ABC-CLIO for information on the following:
 Jean Pierre Blanchard (another good source of information is :
http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Dictionary/blanchard/DI10.htm)
 Benjamin Rush
 Charles Wilson Peale
 Richard Allen
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
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Stephen Girard
Yellow fever
Free African Society
Time appropriate images
Other Sites
 Free African Society
o (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p1590.html)
o The Free African Society of Philadelphia
 Colonial Clothing
o http://www.history.org/history/clothing/intro/index.cfm
o http://www.southampton.k12.ny.us/ColonialSourcebook/colonial_sourcebook.htm#clothing
o http://www.memorialhall.mass.edu/activities/dressup/index.html
 Recipes
o Just do a google search, but remember to cite where you got the recipe from!
 Time appropriate images
o Just do a google search, but remember to cite where you got the images from!
Grading
This assignment is worth 100. In addition to the 80 points that will be awarded for the ten required components
of the newspaper, an additional 20 points will be awarded for the following:
o
o
o
o
Ten Notecards (5 points)
Bibliography with at least eight sources (5 points)
Mechanics- spelling, grammar, (5 points)
Presentation/Neatness (5 points)
Due Dates:
Notecards Due: _____________________
Bibliography: ______________________
Graphic Organizers/Rough Drafts Due:
o Doctor’s Memo - ___________
o Obituary - ____________
o Famous person article - ___________
o Character Interview - ___________
o Free African Society - ____________
o Advertisement - ___________
o Colonial Fashion- _____________
o Recipe - _______________
Rough Draft of Newspaper due: ______________
Final Copy Due: _____________