Primary document
A narrative of the proceedings of the black people, during the late awful calamity
Library of Congress
Where this source supports the record
Each entry separates the article’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.
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Epidemics & public health · August–November 1793Open article references →
The Philadelphia Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793
Old City waterfront and former Dock Creek district · United States
Why editors use it hereDigitized 1794 account by Absalom Jones and Richard Allen documenting Black caregiving and rebutting public accusations.
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Quick read
Yellow fever swept Philadelphia, then the national capital and largest American city, from late summer until frost in November 1793.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Trigger and conditions
Physicians noticed a cluster of severe fever near the Delaware waterfront in August.
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Uncertainty
Contemporary death lists were incomplete and historians commonly use an estimate near five thousand.
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Why it matters
The epidemic shows that uncertainty does not affect everyone equally.
Reviewed 26 July 2026
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Quick read