Historians have debated the role of smallpox in the conduct of the American Revolution for many years. Using your textbook, the journal articles, interactive map and primary sources available on Founders Online, write a 5-7 page paper analyzing the impact of smallpox on the conduct of the Revolutionary War. Your paper must have a clear thesis statement that addresses one or more of the discussion questions below, and you must use both primary and secondary sources to support your argument. You should cite your sources using parenthetical citations and use the writing checklist to help you format your paper. All papers should use 12 point Times New Roman font, be double-spaced and have 1 inch margins.
You may not use any sources not assigned for this class. Plagiarism or use of sources not assigned for the course will result in an automatic zero. Papers will be checked using SafeAssign.
If you would like feedback on a draft of this paper, you must send it to me via email by Feb. 13rd.
Discussion Questions:
- Historians have argued that smallpox shaped both war strategy and the outcome of the Revolution, do you agree or disagree? To what extent did the epidemic shape the war?
- Was the military or civilian population more heavily impacted by the epidemic? How were African Americans and Native Americans impacted?