N 1793, Philadelphia
was as large and as
cosmopolitan a city as
could be found in the
new United States. Until
1800, Philadelphia served as the
U.S. capital.
The city was also home to a
substantial number of people of
color. Many were freedmen and
some were prosperous.
Philadelphia's white residents
often regarded their Black
neighbors with disdain and hos-
tility, made worse by an influx
of French refugees from Haiti
and Santo Domingo, where
there had been recent slave
uprisings. (At the time, many
prominent officials were slave
owners, including then
Secretary of State Thomas
Jefferson.)
With so much tension, it
would not have taken much to
cause an explosion. The yellow
fever outbreak that summer was
more than sufficient.
Black
Nurses
a n d t h e
1793
P h i l a d e l p h i a
Yellow
Fever
E p i d e m i c
A tale of disease, fear, inflammatory
propaganda and ultimate heroism
by Elizabeth Hanink, RN, BSN, PHN
I
12 Working Nurse l WorkingNurse.com
June 15–July 27, 2020
