What was Philadelphia like in 1793? What were the advantages and disadvantages of living in the countryside outside of Philadelphia?
How was the life of a 14-year-old in 1793 different from the life of a 14-year-old today? In which period would you rather live? Why?
What are the greatest advancements American society has made since then? How have we regressed?
Mattie’s grandfather didn’t think there was any need to rush out of Philadelphia when the fever started to spread. Why did some people think it was safe to stay? What would you have done?
The color yellow is used throughout the story. What does it symbolize? What other symbols are used in the book?
When does Mattie move from being a child to being a young adult?
What do you think will happen to Mattie, her mother, and friends in 1794? What will their lives look like in 1800? In 1813?
During the Revolutionary War, women took on tasks that were traditionally performed by men. After the War, they were expected to go back to their spinning wheels and kitchens. How are Mattie’s dreams in conflict with what her society expected of young women? Why did Mattie’s mother want a different life for her daughter?
The Free African Society volunteered to take care of the sick and bury the dead, even though there was no cure for yellow fever. How do you think they felt? Why did they do that? Would you have helped?
Things to do
History
Philadelphia was home to the largest population of free African-Americans in the United States. Research how escaped slaves made their way to Philadelphia. When did these routes become the Underground Railroad? Make a multimedia presentation using music from the late 1700s.
What year did slavery become illegal in Pennsylvania?
Language Arts
Rewrite a scene from Eliza’s point of view.
Make a list of words they used in 1793 that we don’t use today, such as "balderdash" and "bunkum." What words that we use today might sound strange and old-fashioned in the year 2200?
Write a newspaper article that Andrew Brown could run in the Federal Gazette.
Math
Calculate how many people died in the yellow fever epidemic. Compare the mortality rate with that of the 1918 influenza epidemic and the AIDS epidemic.
Research how epidemics effect a city’s economy, including the effects on the price of food and medicine, the jobless rate, the crime rate, and travel.
Develop charts and graphs that explore the infection and mortality rate of the epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793, and the global rate in modern times.
Science
Research the work of Dr. Walter Reed. How do mosquitoes spread yellow fever? What other diseases do mosquitoes spread? Why aren’t all diseases spread this way?
What diseases cause epidemics today in the United States? What about other parts of the world?
How would doctors and scientists respond today if a mysterious disease started to spread through a major American city?
The PERFECT nonfiction companion book to Fever 1793!:
Thoroughly researched, generously illustrated with fascinating archival prints, and unflinching in its discussion of medical details, this book offers a glimpse into the conditions of American cities at the time of our nation’s birth while drawing timely parallels to modern-day epidemics.
January 9 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard becomes the first to fly in a gas balloon in the United States.
January 21 – After being found guilty of treason by the French Convention, Citizen Capet, (i.e., Louis XVI of France) is guillotined.
February 12 – first fugitive slave law passed, requiring the return of runaway slaves.
March 4 – George Washington is sworn in as President of the United States in Philadelphia, for his second term.
April 1 – The Unsen volcano erupts in Japan and causes an earthquake; about 53,000 are killed.
April 3 – First American circus performance is held in Philadelphia.
Aug 29th – Slaves in French colony of St Domingue (Haiti) freed
September 5 – In France, the French National Convention votes to implement terror measures to repress ‘counter-revolutionary’ activities. The ensuing Reign of Terror lasts until the spring of 1794 and causes the deaths of 35,000–40,000 people.
September 18 – President George Washington sets the foundation stone for the Capitol building.
October 28 – Eli Whitney applies for a patent for his cotton gin (the patent is granted the following March).
December 9 – New York City’s first daily newspaper, the American Minerva, is established by Noah Webster.
The British admiralty begins supplying citrus juice to Navy ships to prevent scurvy.
The first year of regular production begins for the United States Mint.
Niccolò Paganini debuts as a violin virtuoso at age 11.
Metric system is developed in France.
Mexico City’s public transportation system begins with authorization being granted for a system of single-horse carriages for hire.
Joseph Haydn writes:
String Quartets, Opp. 71 & 74 "Apponyi"
Variations in F minor
William Wordsworth tours Wales and western England, writing some of his best-known poems.
Ongoing events:
French Revolution (1789–1799)
Births:
January 3 – Lucretia Mott, American women’s rights activist and abolitionist (d. 1880)
March 2 – Sam Houston, President of the Republic of Texas (d. 1863)
November 3 – Stephen F. Austin, American pioneer (d. 1836)
Deaths:
October 8 – John Hancock, American patriot and businessman (b. 1737)
Vocabulary
Chapter 1
stays and shift;
stay-nounChiefly British. A corset.
shift-noun Clothing.
a. a straight, loose-fitting dress worn with or without a belt.
b. a woman’s chemise or slip.
“I fastened my stays and a badly embroidered pocket over the white shift I slept in.”
Chapter 2
dosed; -verb to treat with an application or agent.
“You should be dosed with fish oil”
victuals; -noun food or provisions for human beings.
“If not for Eliza’s fine victuals, and the hungry customers who paid to eat them, we’d have been in the streets long ago.”
supped; -noun to take in small mouthfuls
“They both supped sorrow with a big spoon, that’s what Mother said.”
pestle; –noun a tool for pounding or grinding substances in a mortar.
“Nutmeg and cinnamon perfumed the air as she ground the spices with a pestle.”
Chapter 4
miasma; -noun a dangerous, foreboding, or deathlike influence or atmosphere.
“It’s a source of a deadly miasma, a foul stench, indeed.”
bilious; -adjective suffering from, caused by, or attended by trouble with the bile or liver.
“Mary Shewall died soon after of a bilious fever, and one could hardly fault her character.”
Chapter 5
liebchen; -noun German for sweetheart.
“How many eggs do you want, liebchen?”
demure; -adjective characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved.
“I would fish like a lady, with good posture and a demure manner.”
Chapter 6
mangle; –noun a machine for smoothing or pressing clothes, household linen.
“Grandfather watched from the shade as I cranked the wheel of the mangle.”
Chapter 8
almshouse; –noun Chiefly British. a house endowed by private charity for the reception and support of the aged or infirm poor.
“Isn’t that why we have an almshouse?” asked Grandfather.
pestilence; -noun a contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating.
“I tell you, William, men who stood unafraid before British cannon run in fear from this foul pestilence.”
Chapter 9
dittany; –noun a Cretan plant, Origanum dictamnus, of the mint family, having spikes of purple flowers and formerly believed to have medicinal qualities.
“She was supposed to drink dittany tea sweetened with molasses, but it tasted too terrible.”
Chapter 10
jalap and calomel;
“She’ll need ten grains of jalap and ten grains of calomel.”
jalap; noun a twining eastern Mexican vine having tuberous roots that are dried, powdered, and used medicinally as a cathartic.
calomel; – noun a white, tasteless powder, used chiefly as a purgative and fungicide.
cajoling; -verb to persuade by flattery or promises.
“No amount of cajoling would change her mind.”
Chapter 13
brambles; -noun a prickly shrub or bush.
“I kicked the rock deep into the brambles.”
Chapter 14
slovenly; -adjective untidy or unclean in appearance or habits.
“He fired the slovenly devils who cause all the trouble.”
Chapter 15
destitute; -adjective without means of subsistence; lacking food, clothing, and shelter.
“They told of good people who refused to take any money for helping strangers, even though they themselves were poor and destitute.”
impudence; -noun the quality of being offensively bold.
“I shall report your impudence to the president.”
Chapter 16
Potter’s Field; -noun a place for the burial of unknown or indigent persons.
“ ’The Potter’s Field is ahead,’ Mrs. Bowles said as she pointed to the front of the line.”
Chapter 21
wraith; -noun something shadowy and insubstantial.
“You look like a wraith.”
apothecary; -noun one that prepares and sells drugs and other medicines.
Can You Save The People of Philadelphia?
This webquest by David Golod, of Todd Elementary School, will help students gain an understanding of how yellow fever was spread, the disease itself, the medical practices of the day, and the conditions in Philadelphia that led to the outbreak. The goal for the students is to find a way to save the people of the city if they were to go back in time.
Yellow Fever has not been seen in the United States since 1905, but it attacks an estimated 200,000 people a year in areas of Latin America and Africa. More than 30,000 people die from the disease annually. Doctors Without Borders /Médecins Sans Frontières is trying to stop the disease by vaccinating people at risk. You can help by fundraising. Or you can raise money for Nothing But Nets, which gives bed nets to African families that keep the mosquitoes out, which prevents both malaria and yellow fever.
Newsletter
Fever 1793 – Teacher’s Section
Teacher’s Guide
Learning Unit: Fever 1793 or 2009?
Discussion Guide, Activities
Talk About It
What was Philadelphia like in 1793? What were the advantages and disadvantages of living in the countryside outside of Philadelphia?
How was the life of a 14-year-old in 1793 different from the life of a 14-year-old today? In which period would you rather live? Why?
What are the greatest advancements American society has made since then? How have we regressed?
Mattie’s grandfather didn’t think there was any need to rush out of Philadelphia when the fever started to spread. Why did some people think it was safe to stay? What would you have done?
The color yellow is used throughout the story. What does it symbolize? What other symbols are used in the book?
When does Mattie move from being a child to being a young adult?
What do you think will happen to Mattie, her mother, and friends in 1794? What will their lives look like in 1800? In 1813?
During the Revolutionary War, women took on tasks that were traditionally performed by men. After the War, they were expected to go back to their spinning wheels and kitchens. How are Mattie’s dreams in conflict with what her society expected of young women? Why did Mattie’s mother want a different life for her daughter?
The Free African Society volunteered to take care of the sick and bury the dead, even though there was no cure for yellow fever. How do you think they felt? Why did they do that? Would you have helped?
Things to do
History
Philadelphia was home to the largest population of free African-Americans in the United States. Research how escaped slaves made their way to Philadelphia. When did these routes become the Underground Railroad? Make a multimedia presentation using music from the late 1700s.
What year did slavery become illegal in Pennsylvania?
Language Arts
Rewrite a scene from Eliza’s point of view.
Make a list of words they used in 1793 that we don’t use today, such as "balderdash" and "bunkum." What words that we use today might sound strange and old-fashioned in the year 2200?
Write a newspaper article that Andrew Brown could run in the Federal Gazette.
Math
Calculate how many people died in the yellow fever epidemic. Compare the mortality rate with that of the 1918 influenza epidemic and the AIDS epidemic.
Research how epidemics effect a city’s economy, including the effects on the price of food and medicine, the jobless rate, the crime rate, and travel.
Develop charts and graphs that explore the infection and mortality rate of the epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793, and the global rate in modern times.
Science
Research the work of Dr. Walter Reed. How do mosquitoes spread yellow fever? What other diseases do mosquitoes spread? Why aren’t all diseases spread this way?
What diseases cause epidemics today in the United States? What about other parts of the world?
How would doctors and scientists respond today if a mysterious disease started to spread through a major American city?
The PERFECT nonfiction companion book to Fever 1793!:
An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy
Thoroughly researched, generously illustrated with fascinating archival prints, and unflinching in its discussion of medical details, this book offers a glimpse into the conditions of American cities at the time of our nation’s birth while drawing timely parallels to modern-day epidemics.
Curriculum Links
Open Collections Program: Contagion, The Yellow Fever Epidemic in Philadelphia, 1793
The Diseased City
City History Lesson
FEVER1793 Guided Questions
Dr. Benjamin Rush and bloodletting
Germantown Nurses the Yellow Fever, 1793
The Great Fever
Internet Hunt for FEVER1793
A Listening Library Study Guide
Investigating the historical fiction novel Fever by L.H. Anderson … A Powerpoint Presentation
Fever1793 Discussion Guide from Scholastic.com
Fever1793 Quiz!!
Fever1793 Study Guide and Lesson Plans for purchase
Interesting events in 1793:
Ongoing events:
Births:
Deaths:
Vocabulary
Chapter 1
stays and shift;
stay-noun Chiefly British. A corset.
shift-noun Clothing.
a. a straight, loose-fitting dress worn with or without a belt.
b. a woman’s chemise or slip.
“I fastened my stays and a badly embroidered pocket over the white shift I slept in.”
Chapter 2
dosed; -verb to treat with an application or agent.
“You should be dosed with fish oil”
victuals; -noun food or provisions for human beings.
“If not for Eliza’s fine victuals, and the hungry customers who paid to eat them, we’d have been in the streets long ago.”
supped; -noun to take in small mouthfuls
“They both supped sorrow with a big spoon, that’s what Mother said.”
pestle; –noun a tool for pounding or grinding substances in a mortar.
“Nutmeg and cinnamon perfumed the air as she ground the spices with a pestle.”
Chapter 4
miasma; -noun a dangerous, foreboding, or deathlike influence or atmosphere.
“It’s a source of a deadly miasma, a foul stench, indeed.”
bilious; -adjective suffering from, caused by, or attended by trouble with the bile or liver.
“Mary Shewall died soon after of a bilious fever, and one could hardly fault her character.”
Chapter 5
liebchen; -noun German for sweetheart.
“How many eggs do you want, liebchen?”
demure; -adjective characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved.
“I would fish like a lady, with good posture and a demure manner.”
Chapter 6
mangle; –noun a machine for smoothing or pressing clothes, household linen.
“Grandfather watched from the shade as I cranked the wheel of the mangle.”
Chapter 8
almshouse; –noun Chiefly British. a house endowed by private charity for the reception and support of the aged or infirm poor.
“Isn’t that why we have an almshouse?” asked Grandfather.
pestilence; -noun a contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating.
“I tell you, William, men who stood unafraid before British cannon run in fear from this foul pestilence.”
Chapter 9
dittany; –noun a Cretan plant, Origanum dictamnus, of the mint family, having spikes of purple flowers and formerly believed to have medicinal qualities.
“She was supposed to drink dittany tea sweetened with molasses, but it tasted too terrible.”
Chapter 10
jalap and calomel;
“She’ll need ten grains of jalap and ten grains of calomel.”
jalap; noun a twining eastern Mexican vine having tuberous roots that are dried, powdered, and used medicinally as a cathartic.
calomel; – noun a white, tasteless powder, used chiefly as a purgative and fungicide.
cajoling; -verb to persuade by flattery or promises.
“No amount of cajoling would change her mind.”
Chapter 13
brambles; -noun a prickly shrub or bush.
“I kicked the rock deep into the brambles.”
Chapter 14
slovenly; -adjective untidy or unclean in appearance or habits.
“He fired the slovenly devils who cause all the trouble.”
Chapter 15
destitute; -adjective without means of subsistence; lacking food, clothing, and shelter.
“They told of good people who refused to take any money for helping strangers, even though they themselves were poor and destitute.”
impudence; -noun the quality of being offensively bold.
“I shall report your impudence to the president.”
Chapter 16
Potter’s Field; -noun a place for the burial of unknown or indigent persons.
“ ’The Potter’s Field is ahead,’ Mrs. Bowles said as she pointed to the front of the line.”
Chapter 21
wraith; -noun something shadowy and insubstantial.
“You look like a wraith.”
apothecary; -noun one that prepares and sells drugs and other medicines.
“Are you come from the apothecary?”
Hands-on Activities & Social Action Projects
Google lit trip
Can You Save The People of Philadelphia? This webquest by David Golod, of Todd Elementary School, will help students gain an understanding of how yellow fever was spread, the disease itself, the medical practices of the day, and the conditions in Philadelphia that led to the outbreak. The goal for the students is to find a way to save the people of the city if they were to go back in time.
Yellow Fever has not been seen in the United States since 1905, but it attacks an estimated 200,000 people a year in areas of Latin America and Africa. More than 30,000 people die from the disease annually. Doctors Without Borders /Médecins Sans Frontières is trying to stop the disease by vaccinating people at risk. You can help by fundraising. Or you can raise money for Nothing But Nets, which gives bed nets to African families that keep the mosquitoes out, which prevents both malaria and yellow fever.