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100th out of 568 books
—
839 voters
Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-82
A horrifying epidemic of smallpox was sweeping across North America when the War of Independence began, and until now we have known almost nothing about it. Elizabeth A. Fenn is the first historian to reveal how deeply Variola affected the outcome of the war in every colony and the lives of everyone on the continent. Her remarkable research shows us how the disease devasta...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
October 2nd 2002
by Hill and Wang
(first published 2001)
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During the years of the Revolutionary War, while the American colonies attempted to wrest their independence from Britain and King George, a shadow much smaller and more terrifying than British soldiers was spreading across the continent. Smallpox, or Variola major, as the virus itself is called, quickly infected citizens in besieged Boston, cut down the Continental Army in Canada, swept it’s way into the South, to New Spain, and up trading routes through the Great Plains, into Canada, and all t...more
May 27, 2011
Jenna
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
history buffs, epidemic lovers
Recommended to Jenna by:
Goodreads List
Shelves:
history
Enjoyed learning about the smallpox epidemic of the 1700s and liked how the author divided the book into three sections through the chapters; the Colonies, then Mexico and finally the Indian natives on the Pacific coast / Alaska.
Sprinkled through out the book are some individual stories, and (in my copy at least) there are a few photographs of paintings, pictures and other smallpox plague items.
She has added some maps along with the pictures, but while they are fine being included with the oth...more
Sprinkled through out the book are some individual stories, and (in my copy at least) there are a few photographs of paintings, pictures and other smallpox plague items.
She has added some maps along with the pictures, but while they are fine being included with the oth...more
I didn't know that smallpox was a significant factor in the Revolutionary war, mentioned just once in another serious book about the War. Yet it could have changed everything and certainly did for the native Americans where high mortality changed the balance of power.
This author has clearly done prodigious research and, although the density of statistics can sometimes seem overwhelming, the overarching story is a powerful one. If smallpox could have such an impact in a time when horses made a dr...more
This author has clearly done prodigious research and, although the density of statistics can sometimes seem overwhelming, the overarching story is a powerful one. If smallpox could have such an impact in a time when horses made a dr...more
Pox American follows the smallpox epidemic that spread through North America from 1775-1782, tracing its impact on the Revolutionary War and Native American and Colonial society. Historian Elizabeth Fenn is meticulous in chronicling the devastation, using firsthand accounts and surviving records to sketch out the death and fear that followed the disease.
The impact of smallpox on the Revolutionary War occupies much of the book. Epidemiologically, the Americans were at a disadvantage. Smallpox was...more
The impact of smallpox on the Revolutionary War occupies much of the book. Epidemiologically, the Americans were at a disadvantage. Smallpox was...more
One of those big picture histories that takes a whole bunch of different threads and ties them together. This one tracks a smallpox epidemic that changed the course of the American Revolution, crippled the U.S. invasion of Canada, doomed Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment of freed slaves, devastated everything along New Spain's royal highways, raced through Native American trade routes and allowed the Sioux to create their imperium of the plains, and more. On top of the excellent history its a pr...more
This exceedingly interesting book provides an object lesson about the importance of modern vaccines - history changed by disease. Fenn links a great deal of information together & explains how it affected all of North America during the Revolutionary era, from Mexico northwards to Canada. She also discusses accusations of germ warfare by each side towards the other, and assesses their validity as much as possible based on the sources she cites. Her extensive notes for each chapter are an exc...more
This book while interesting, was somewhat difficult to read due to the author's staid writing style. Nevertheless I kept returning to the book and found its revelatory nature regarding smallpox and its horrendous effects on native Americans and their culture very interesting. In fact, the book was very informative regarding smallpox and its effects upon the entire North American continent, the development of the continent's interior, the Revolutionary War, modern medical practice, and our result...more
This excellent work shows readers how the American colonists had to overcome more than just Loyalists, escalating war debt, often poor logistics, and the might of the British Regulars and their Hessian mercenaries and Indian allies in order to procure independence. Indeed, Smallpox ravaged the colonies during the struggle for independence and at times placed the outcome of the war in highly unfavorable terms for the revolutionaries.
Smallpox was the deadliest of Old World pathogens transmitted a...more
Smallpox was the deadliest of Old World pathogens transmitted a...more
The smallpox epidemic that covered the continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and from Canada to Mexico in the late 1700s is something that very few people have covered and this book could have been very very interesting. As it was I learned a lot about not only the smallpox epidemic, but also about what was going on elsewhere on the North American continent at the time of the American Revolution. It was very interesting to learn how the smallpox epidemic affected the Revolution...more
A great and important book, though it still bears some of the stigmata of the PhD dissertation format. Glad to have the whole range of American experience represented in this book, an impressive reminder of the global interconnections exposed by epidemic disease that has been part of human experience long before the "globalization" of the latter twentieth century. Generally readable prose, though it sometimes bogs down on the lack of sources and desire to replicate each analysis in each populati...more
Not a riveting read - lots of dull statistics - but an an important one, if you are at all interested in the American Revolution. The great smallpox epidemic of 1775-82 corresponded exactly with that war, and had a huge impact on the outcome - something that's virtually ignored in most history texts. The epidemic spread throughout North America; one of the more interesting aspects of the book is how the disease vector reveals a great deal about trade networks beyond the Appalachians.
Viruses make history. Smallpox is discussed in any decent history of the American Revolution, but here the virus takes center stage. Fenn expertly pieces together primary accounts to show how every aspect of the seven-year conflict was shaped by infection, suffering, inoculation, and fear of contracting smallpox. (I had recently read some harsh stuff about Benjamin Lincoln's surrender at Charleston, this account essentially vindicates him.) The second half of the book details the spread of small...more
Could not put this down. The book itself is lovingly written, with searing indictments of people careless with contagion, and tragic accounts - both personal and sweeping - of the effects of the virus, and how it effected people by accident, or how it was intentionally wielded as a weapon in the Revolutionary War. However, Fenn's search for the invisible narrative of Smallpox in the Americas over the course of colonization at large was more troubling to me, from a research point of view, but ult...more
A horrifying epidemic of smallpox was sweeping across North America when the War of Independence began, and until now we have known almost nothing about it. Elizabeth A. Fenn is the first historian to reveal how deeply Variola affected the outcome of the war in every colony and the lives of everyone on the continent. Her remarkable research shows us how the disease devastated the American troops at Quebec and kept them at bay during the British occupation of Boston, and how it ravaged slaves in...more
Thank you Lord, for the smallpox vaccine!! Such untold and horrific suffering across North America during this time. Although tedious at times, the story of the interface between the American Revolution and the smallpox outbreaks that threatened Washington's troops and how he chose to deal with it was very interesting.
Incredibly sad best-guess statistics on the effect of smallpox on Native Americans. Good research work!
Incredibly sad best-guess statistics on the effect of smallpox on Native Americans. Good research work!
Lots of stats, dates etc and not the most creative way to deliver information. Still the facts alone are breathtaking. So many died such a painful death but most of the people alive today know very little about the disease -- and that's a good thing.
If you are interested in Public Health and how many current practices came about, you will probably enjoy this well research book
If you are interested in Public Health and how many current practices came about, you will probably enjoy this well research book
The first part of the book, which describes the impact smallpox had on the American Revolution, was extremely interesting and added another dimension to my understanding of the war. Unfortunately the story went downhill from there and seemed to merely relate one outbreak after another without making a larger point.
An engaging read which reveals how very connected the entire North American continent was in the 18th century. Fenn's personification of smallpox is sometimes a bit much, making it seem as though the disease had agency and decision-making powers. Overall, a very enjoyable history.
Technically, this is a good book. Ms. Fenn researched her topic thoroughly and offered up interesting observations of the Revolutionary period and how the spread of small pox influenced the course of American history.
However, it is an extraordinarily dry read and should probably be pursued only by those serious history buffs.
However, it is an extraordinarily dry read and should probably be pursued only by those serious history buffs.
To be honest, I mostly skimmed because the topic was so depressing. But a sweeping review of a smallpox epidemic during the revolutionary war, from English North America, to Spanish North America, to Upper Canada, to the Pacific Northwest.
Fenn did an impressive quantity of research before writing this book. It was fascinating to read about the influence of smallpox on events surrounding the Revolutionary War and western expansion. The final chapters tracing the path of smallpox across the country, sparing no detail of proof, were less riveting. Still, very interesting, and definitely provides a new perspective on the course of early American history.
Mar 29, 2009
Viki
added it
Sometimes difficult to wade through, overall an engaging account of an American epidemic with plenty of primary source references I'd never heard of before.
Fascinating and little known piece of American history. We forget how dangerous smallpox was and this epidemic spanned the continent, lethal in its effects.
While the book starts out with how smallpox effected the Continental Army, subsequent chapters go into how it spread through Mexico, Canada, the plains, and the Pacific Northwest and Eastern Russia. Each chapter beings with a contemporary scene, such as a recount of American soldiers captured by the British, Catholic missionaries among the Southwestern tribes, and in the final chapter a berdache who claimed to have to power to inflict smallpox. The author also focuses on inoculation or variolati...more
A very different side of the American Revolution. It had its dry moments, but wasn't too bad considering it was for a history class.
Great historical read of Colonial America. Fenn gives the entire scope of Pox and it ravaged America during war time.
This little known epidemic had some significant impacts on the peoples of North America. The author included personal stories from letters and diaries. These were my favorite.
If you (like me) have not recently studied the American Revolution, you may find that a review of the history enhances your enjoyment of the book.
If you (like me) have not recently studied the American Revolution, you may find that a review of the history enhances your enjoyment of the book.
Read this for school. It was pretty interesting reading how small pox affected the American Revolution. It's something that isn't really mentioned in history books.
Man, I tried so hard to finish this book, I truly did - but I read it right after The Ghost Map, whose combination of medical history and erudition and nailbiting suspense and ghoulish disaster porn and ripping gothic yarn is pretty hard to follow. It's like reading any other colonial history book after King Leopold's Ghost - you want to, because you're all fired up to learn more, but you're going to have a tough time finding something to live up to your impossibly elevated standards. So I mean...more
Great book on the impact of disease on the outcome of the American Revolution
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