Introduction
The spread of the smallpox epidemic was critical during George Washington’s besiegement of Boston and Canada’s campaigns in the years 1775 and 1776. The pervasiveness of the smallpox diseases had an adverse influence on war progress meant for independence. Smallpox was extremely contagious and not predictable when it would attack, and those whom it had not stricken were tormented with fear as it left traces of its power on its victims.
It was caused by the Variola virus and was the most lethal and deforming of all the plaque-like epidemics of the 17th and 18th centuries. Smallpox broke into a city in Boston both in 1721 and 1751, which made a lot of residents flee the country to prevent being infected. Smallpox was easily recognizable as they were sores on the skin, which developed a telltale pungent and sweetish odor, the cracking and running of the sores left the victim in an agony of pain. The survivors were left with permanent scarring all over their bodies.
Abigail’s Decision to Inoculation
In 1721, Cotton Mather and Zabdiel Boylston Introduced isolation and inoculation as means of preventing smallpox. The medical procedure of inoculation involved infecting the patient with a mild case of the virus, which led to lifelong immunity. It did not always go through hence carried a lot of medical risks as it needed strict control because lack of enough quarantine to subside the virus would lead to the spread of it. Abigail Adams, who was the first lady, decided that she and her four children would be inoculated. In 1776, she wrote to her husband, who was in Philadelphia and had been inoculated when he was younger, that she feared inoculation but feared smallpox more (Abrams, 122).
She headed to Boston with her four children and a few other family members to be inoculated by Dr. Thomas Bullfinch, who was an expert in the procedure with the support of her husband as they wanted the family protected from smallpox.
After the inoculation, Abigail suffered a mild form of smallpox and recovered soon enough to take care of the children as she wrote to the husband that they were sick and puking every morning. Abigail made a fearsome decision and took the risk for and for her children to get inoculated. It was equally putting their lives at risk as it involved introducing the virus in their body system for long time immunity, and sometimes the procedure was not successful (Becker 121). After a few weeks of isolation, Abigail was able to take the children back home as they would never have to worry again as they were immune to smallpox. Abigail’s decision for inoculation of her and her children was reasonable and brought a change to her family as they were Immune to smallpox.
Impacts of Smallpox on Revolutionary War
Soldiers from Germany and England who came for the revolutionary war brought the smallpox virus to the American shores, and new recruits from North America who joined the army were infected as they were not inoculated. In 1775, George Washington wrote a letter to quarantine everyone who was suspected of having smallpox in a hospital away from the main army. Inoculating the army would curb the spread of smallpox but there was a risk it might be uncontrollable, and George Washington was worried that if the British knew they were debilitated, they would ravage the Continental Army (Harris, 8).
In December 1775, the American forces alongside the army were sent to attack Quebec. Due to the winter conditions in Canada, the disease spread quickly and destroyed the American troops as they had not been inoculated (Schuetze, 100). In 1776, George Washington gave orders that anyone who was found secretly inoculating would be expelled from the Continental Army. Fear of the disease negatively affected the recruitment of the army, and Washington was forced to act. He finally gave permission to the army to be inoculated, isolated and their clothes cleaned before joining the army.
George Washington’s will
George Washington owned slaves who worked for him, and when they got married, Martha Washington, who was a widow, came with 84 slaves with her (Betty, 224). Martha had gotten dower’s share from the death of her ex-husband, which was massive that it made her one of Virginia’s richest women. Washington treated his slaves better than most of the masters then though he expected more than average from them as he closely kept an eye on each of them in relation to their productivity. In 1799, George Washington died, and left a will on how the slaves would be freed after the death of her wife, Martha.
It stated that his estate would take care of the slaves who were elderly, sick and the orphans were to be supported until they were 25 years old. George Washington’s will aspired for freedom for the slaves and unlike most masters, he has never used his office for his own interests. He also urged his successors and executers to respect his wish, which prohibited the slave trade.
Works cited
Abrams, Jeanne E. “[Two] Abigail and John Adams.” First Ladies of the Republic. New York University Press, 2018. p. 101-156.
Becker, A. (2017). Smallpox at the Siege of Boston:” Vigilance against this most dangerous Enemy”. Historical Journal of Massachusetts, 45(1), 42.
Harris, Madison. “A Cloud of Controversy: George Washington and Smallpox Inoculation During American Revolution.” URJ-UCCS. Undergraduate Research Journal at UCCS 11.3(2018): p. 6-12.
Schuetze, Sarah. “Carrying Home the Enemy: Smallpox and Revolution in American Love and Letters 1775-76,” Early American Literature 53.1(2018): 97-125.