Learning Objective for Yellow Fever and National Politics in the 1790s

The Philadelphia yellow fever crisis of 1793 serves as an important case study of how catastrophic events like epidemics disrupt social structures and exacerbate deeper cultural and political tensions. The sources in this unit introduce you not only to the devastating impacts of the epidemic but also to the varied, and often politicized, responses to the crisis. In particular, this unit will familiarize you with the development of an anti-urban Jeffersonian ideology and the emergence of the city/country divide that became a key factor in American politics. By evaluating the diverse sources in this unit, you will be able to identify and explain the different viewpoints that existed at this time, while also weighing their strengths and weakness, and the importance of political context. Upon completion of this unit, you should be able to answer the central question: What do the varied public responses to the yellow fever crisis reveal about the existing cultural and political tensions in the early American republic?