Pox Americana Paper PDF

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Pox Americana...

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Jim Bo 10/4/19 History, 8:35

Pox American Paper From the birth of American history we have been taught that from early 1770’s that the biggest thing happening in the world was the American Revolution but that might not entirely be the case and the ultimate winner of this time period. Variola or smallpox, a disease that lurked and roamed effortlessly around North American taking lives left and right. Americans have always struggled with the battle of smallpox and the epidemic it had on the colonies and all the groups that were in North America. It was an issue that took us to the 20th century to solve but shaped us into who we are today. The smallpox epidemic shaped North American culture though the devastation, hardships, and the way to fight and overcome this disease. The Colonist and the British were both at an disadvantage fighting each other but also having to endure the cold consequences of Variola. The fighting was bad enough with the number of men each side has lost but cracking the code to fighting smallpox was going to be the key to winning the war. Both sides desperately were requiting troop constantly because both sides had men dying by the hundreds when the war was going on just because of smallpox. The British were heavily requiting African Americans to fight on their side but sadly these people were some of the most vulnerable to the disease, which lead them to losing a lot more men then the colonists. Inoculation ended up playing a huge role in North America. The groups that decided to take this route greatly impacted who would turn out as a ‘winner’ in North America. Washington was the first to put this into plan and had his medical staff for the continental army put this at one of his highest priorities for the war efforts. This English also followed this plan but did not stress

Jim Bo 10/4/19 History, 8:35

the effort as much as the colonist did. Other groups of Native Americans like the Sioux and Blackfeet suffered dramatic losses to their people. We see that inoculation was not as prominent in the cities like Boston but in the military, this was of high stress and fewer lives were lost because of this. The people of Boston were not given as much attention as the people who were fighting the war. Many groups were scared of Inoculation and worried about the effects it would have as many Native American tribes put it. The disadvantages of this were pretty scary. We were not entirely sure if this would work and had this failed the colonist might have lost the war because they would have lost men then not enforcing this. We see that the spread of smallpox throughout America can be seen in many different countries and groups of people based on historical accounts and anecdotes. We see that in many accounts all the way from Mexico to now Vancouver. English sea captain, George Vancouver, once said, “we found a deserted village capable of containing a hundred inhabits in a perfect location for a town. We found several human skulls, bones, and lively hood spread around. How could this be if the land was so great?” (Fenn, 9). After finding several other abandon villages, he came to the conclusion that Variola must be the cause of these villages end. Fur trade was very big at this time period. Groups trading and colonist trading helped spread this disease to every community because they still did not know the power of the spread and how easy it was to transfer from group to group. This is how we saw many native groups begin to swindle after trading with English people. When dealing with smallpox in America, there was definitely winners and definitely losers in this epidemic. To win or cope with this epidemic meant to begin inoculation, as we would later find out that it would help win war efforts. Elizabeth A. Fenn says later on in the

Jim Bo 10/4/19 History, 8:35

book, “it made winners and losers, at once serving the conquerors and determining who they would be. Smallpox reshaped political and military relations across the continent.” (Fenn, 257). I think Fenn really hit the nail with the hammer on this statement. This disease did a lot of its own conquering throughout this time period, but the ones who could contain or slow the disease would ending winning this “war”. Smallpox played a big role in especially in the Continental Army that was commanded by George Washington. He ordered that we focus more on the inoculation process and it worked. We were able to keep men around a lot longer than our enemy and neighbors around us. The losers would have been groups like the Sioux, and Blackfeet. These two groups did not participate in this practice which ultimately lead to their demise. This was a very rough time period for anyone living in North American. People knew they would be losing people at massive numbers each day but it is very interesting the approach that each group took and where they are standing today. We saw the impact it had on the American revolution, how inoculation played a role in many groups, how the spread and trade got this disease around, and finally the winners and losers of this horrible epidemic. Hopefully North America will never have to go through another disease like this again but if we do, be sure to wash your hands....