Definition and analysis of the relationship between the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 and the Election of 1800
Yellow fever broke out in Philadelphia, the Capital of the United States, during the summer and early fall of 1793. This outbreak is said to have claimed the lives of about 5000 persons and elicited much panic among the people (Finger). This disease, which was transmitted through mosquitoes, caused symptoms such as fever, jaundice, and, of course, scandalous black vomiting, also known as the “danse macabre” (Finger). It upset governmental activities and influenced discussions regarding its factors and preventive procedures.
The Election of 1800 was between Federalist John Adams and Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson. It was the first time in the history of the United States political life that the leadership of the country was transferred between political parties, represented by Thomas Jefferson of the Democratic-Republican Party, who succeeded John Adams of the Federalist Party. The election carried out in 1800 ended up with Jefferson and Aaron Burr (the vice president of the Democratic-Republican party) being tied in the Electoral College, meaning that the decision was going to be left to the House of Representatives. While Burr was technically a contestant, he was not intended to be competing directly against Jefferson for the presidency. The tie was an unintended consequence of the electoral system at the time. This event led to the passage of the 12th Amendment, which changed how electors voted for president and vice president separately. After thirty-five rounds of voting, Jefferson won on the 36th ballot (Thomas Jefferson Foundation).
These events are linked because they involve aspects of early American political and social history. The Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 unfolded flaws in the young nation’s potential to combat calamities and contributed to arguments about public health policies. This epidemic was one of several factors in Philadelphia’s decline relative to rising ports like New York City (Finger). The political polarization increased due to the outbreak’s disruptions in people’s lives.
This crisis and other contentious issues in the 1790s led to the Election of 1800, which changed many things in U.S. history. The campaign’s tone was highly polarized due to natural societal divisions over the future of America. (Shah, 215) To Jefferson, his victory meant returning the nation to its original fundamentals; he later described it as the revolution of 1800 (Thomas Jefferson Foundation). Altogether, these events reveal the problem of the U.S. in the early years and the need for erecting a solid system of democracy in times of sociopolitical instability.
Works Cited
Finger, Simon. “Yellow Fever.” The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 2011, philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/yellow-fever/.
Thomas Jefferson Foundation. “A Nation Divided: The Election of 1800.” Google Arts & Culture, n.d., artsandculture.google.com/story/wgURxDCU-6gaJA?hl=en.
Shah, David Emori. America: A Narrative History. Brief 11th ed., vol. 1, W.W. Norton & Company, 2019.