The perspective the author gives to this book is a unique. Smallpox according to most histories does not play the role of a major character, but a minor part. In my opinion smallpox was a major factor during the Revolutionary War, and Feen focuses on several key areas which allows us to see just how bad this epidemic was and the grip it had not only on the soldiers, but the colonist as well. Smallpox did not play favorites when it came to choosing a victim. Whether it was a young child, or a older person, smallpox destroyed the lives of hundreds of thousands over a period of eight years in the colonies. Fenn did a great job in my opinion of describing just how bad this disease was and painted a horrific picture in explaining what people went through when dealing with the disease. Even as the author started her introduction into the book she explains that Viariola (smallpox) blinded, scarred, maimed and killed many of its victims. It is hard to even try and imagine what these individuals went through when dealing with smallpox. However, one thing is according the author they did not let the virus destroy them. They fought back with every fiber in their bodies to understand and illuminate this dreaded foe. Smallpox according to Feen took its toll on American’s as well as those of the colonist and British soldiers. One other item of interest I found in the introduction was the map of how the virus moved itself across North America. The virus from what I can see only need a host to travel. After closer examination you can see that they virus followed the routes of the soldiers or that of other militia as they made their way through parts of North America and Canada. Once it started there seemed to be no stopping i... ... middle of paper ... ...ver the years to numerous people in regards to smallpox and the American Revolution. Fenn, was able I believe to shed light on a subject which has had little attention brought to it. Even when we read about the Revolution from other perspectives smallpox is only briefly mentioned as major outcome to the war. I feel the author has brought to the fore front something that needs to be scrutinized even more. Smallpox played a important roll in our history affecting thousands as it moved across North America. We as historians should be aware that the impact smallpox had on the colonies and Revolutionary War was just as much a part of our history as the “shot heard around the world”. Works Cited Benedictow, Ole Jorgen, The Black Death 1346-1353 The Complete History, New York: Boydell Press.2004. Feen, Elizabeth, Pox American. New York: Hill and Wang, 2002.
His writing makes a reader doubt the veracity of the American Revolution and the right of the colonies to fight for independence. Personally, my perspective changed and I no longer saw England as some tyrant power who tried to strip the colonies of their rights and taxed them unjustly. I began to see how England’s actions were justified and my patriotism took a blow. England clearly had a right to tax, as is evidenced by the charter and especially because the taxes were for expenses racked up for the protection of the colonies in the French and Indian War. Overall, Wesley makes a very convincing argument that the colonies are acting irrationally and unreasonably, which makes you wonder whether one should be proud of America’s “honorable” fight for
“Future nations will know by history only that the loathsome smallpox has existed and by you extirpated”. This quote comes from Thomas Jefferson to Edward Jenner, he founder of the smallpox vaccine. It would only be 100 years later that Jefferson would see his dream fulfilled, but not without struggle. In House on Fire, author William H. Foege shares his first hand view of the lengths that society needed to go through to rid the world of the disease that had plagued it for so long. The story of the fight against smallpox extends long before our efforts for global eradication and is a representation of how society deals with widespread disease. House on
Gordon Wood gives an interesting insight into the Revolution. Overall, I find Wood’s argument to be persuasive and refreshing. There is little doubt that the forces that Wood proclaims as significant in his history of the Revolution are important. However, it is this same concentration on non-traditional forces that leads to my criticism of his book.
From elementary to high school, the American Revolutionary War, is a topic that is repeated in the classroom, but to my surprise there were a lot of details that I was never taught. John Shy explored the many different angles of the Revolution in his essay, “The American Revolution: The Military Conflict Considered as a Revolutionary War.” He provides analysis on the American Revolutionary War and breaks it down into three categories, military, social, political, as well as where they overlap. This essay caught my attention because of Shy’s explanation on the Revolution and its effects. He tried to explain questions that have been around for many years such as how did one of the greatest military powers in the world could have been defeated
Stokesbury, James L. A short History of the American Revolution. New York. William Morrow and Company, Inc. 1991.
Murphy, Jim. An American Plague: the True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. New York, NY: Clarion Books, 2003. Print.
Stokesbury, James L. A Short History of the American Revolution. New York: William Morrow and Company, 2001.
After reading The Panic Virus, it became evident that this book can in fact be extremely useful. Perhaps people prefer not to educate themselves about vaccination on the grounds that medical language can be dry, confusing, and uninteresting. Perhaps they don’t wish to listen to medical professionals due to the fact that they feel that they have an agenda to protect themselves. Whatever the reason, the need for Mnookin’s The Panic Virus is to provide a strong argument for pro-vaccination that is given by a member of the reader’s peers. Mnookin is not a medical professional, and has no personal gain from defending the medical field; therefore, his argument is ‘by the people, for the people’. Mnookin’s tone throughout the novel also makes The Panic Virus a page-turner. Mnookin uses a tone that is at times formal and factual and at other times snide and informal, engaging the reader with every
During the Seven Years War, there was a definite outbreak in the amount of Aboriginals who contracted smallpox. It had been a disease that was around since the beginning of the colonization of North America, but there was a larger immigration of troops from Europe to the colonies at this time. (10) This also correlates to more contact between Aboriginal peoples without the immune system to fight off smallpox and Europeans who were immune to the disease. This was in part because every spring an increasingly large amount of soldiers left for Canadian missions where they would be surrounded by prisoners, opponents and allies alike, most of who were European. Many of the Aboriginals lost their lives because they had not become immune to the
In the book, he describes the history of the Colonial era and how slavery began. He shows us how the eighteenth century progressed and how American slavery developed. Then it moves onto the American Revolution, and how the American slaves were born into class. It was this time that the slave population was more than twice what it had been. The Revolutionary War had a major impact on slavery and on the slaves.
I am not usually much of a reader but this book was one to actually hold my attention. The first chapter “something in the Air” really draws you in with a outline from the anthrax letter attacks of Robert stevens a photo retouch for the national enquirer. It starts with an outline of the anthrax letter attacks that took place in florida and washingtin DC. These attacks took palce between October 2nd and 15th of 2001. Robert Stevens was the first victim with another unsuccessful attempt on US senator Tom Daschle. This cchapter gives a recap of some facts presented by the FBI,CDC, and the Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease. The second chapter “The Dreaming Demon” outlines aspects of a smallpox outbreak from the St. Wallburga
Murphy, Jim. An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic 1793. New York, New York: Clariton Book, 2003. Print.
The name Edward Jenner is a name that many folks do not recognize. However, that was just how Edward wanted it. Under the radar, Jenner’s goal was not for eminence or glory; being able to save lives was his only objective. Through his diligence, Jenner got people to come aboard his notion of the Earth’s most destructive epidemic, smallpox. Because of this, Jenner was able to cure smallpox, discovering the first ever vaccination in 1796. It was not just Jenner finding a solution to smallpox that made him a hero; it was about his ambition of putting others before himself, and his unwillingness to be satisfied of doing a mediocre job as smallpox took its toll on the United
The year is 1796. The smallpox epidemic has killed approximately 5 million people in just Europe alone (Murphy). One in every seven children will become infected with and die of smallpox. It seems as though this epidemic is unstoppable, but later a man named Edward Jenner will create a new method to fight smallpox. Jenner will remove a blister from one of the infected, and inject it into the arm of another person (Riedel). He will call his new method ‘arm to arm inoculation’.
The smallpox virus plagued humans for thousands of years, resulting in millions of deaths worldwide, before Edward Jenner stumbled upon a way to eventually eradicate the disease. The disease devastated populations across Asia, Africa, Europe, and eventually the Americas through the voyages of discovery. The number of Aztecs and Native Americans killed by the virus is far greater than the number killed in battles with white settlers. The virus had a fatality rate of approximately 30% while survivors were often left with permanent scarring, deformities, and blindness as a result of the disease. Before Jenner's vaccine, practitioners in Asia developed a method known as variolation that was eventually brought to England in 1721 by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu after spending time abroad in Turley. This became the