The phrase “united states of America” first appeared in
the Declaration of Independence in 1776. While drafting the
Articles of Confederation in 1777, leaders of the Second
Continental Congress adopted the phrase in Article I by
writing, “The
Stile
of this Confederacy shall be “The United
States of America.” In this case, stilemeans a name given
to the Confederation, which was the original 13 states.
Let’s get back to our Articles of Confederation story. In
September 1777, Congressmoved the newly formed
government from
Philadelphia
to
York
, Pennsylvania. The
English army occupied Philadelphia at this time. While in
York, Congress drafted and adopted the Articles of
Confederation. They sent the new plan of government to the
states for their approval. However, it took three and a half
years before the Articles were approved inMarch of 1781.
Our country’s first constitution hadmany weaknesses.
For example, Congress had no way to raise an army or to
collect money fromseparate states. Each state wasmore
like an independent country. One person stated that trying
to collect money from the states was like talking to a
dead person! Overall, the Articles of Confederation did not
provide the country with a strong central government.
Because of the problems with the new government,
delegates
were selected to represent each of the twelve
states inMay 1787. Rhode Island chose not to
participate. The purpose of this
Constitutional Convention
held in Philadelphia was to strengthen the old plan, the
Articles of Confederation
.
GeorgeWashington was elected
president of the convention. But, as the Convention
proceeded, the delegates decided to write a completely
new plan of government, one that would eliminate the
major weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
For four months during the hot summer of 1787, 55
men at Independence Hall secretly discussed and debated
the formof our new government. It was an extremely
difficult task.
With 40,000 citizens, Philadelphia was the largest city
among the states. The city had a serious problemwith stench
because of themany open sewers. Animal tanning factories
also added to the stinky smells of the city. Mosquitoes and
flies were terrible. Windows did not have screens. At
Independence Hall, the windows were closed to lessen the
noise and insects. But the windows were closed for another
reason. What the delegates were talking about was very
secret. What must it have been like to work in a hot building
without fresh air, or air-conditioning?
MAJORWEAKNESSESOFTHE
ARTICLESOFCONFEDERATION
• There was a weak central government.
• There was no way to levy and collect taxes.
• There was no process for solving arguments
among the states.
• There was no way to regulate trade among
the states.
• There was no way to raise a navy or army.
Imagine an epidemic so
fast-moving and deadly that
half of the population of
your city fled. Thismay
sound like the plot
of amovie, but it
actually happened
to Philadelphia in
1793 during the
Yellow Fever
Epidemic. At
this time,
Philadelphia
was our nation’s
capital and its
largest city. An
unusually damp
spring brought about
a badmosquito
season. There were
refugees from the
Caribbean coming through
Philadelphia’s bustling port, which created a
recipe for disaster.
Some refugees also came with an
unwanted passenger, the Yellow Fever Virus.
This virus quickly spread in the summer and
early fall of 1793. Mosquitoes bit the infected
and would then transmit the virus when they
bit previously healthy people. An estimated
10% of the city’s population died from the
Yellow Fever in the first month alone!
Benjamin Rush was a prominent physician
and political thinker fromPhiladelphia. Rush
already was famous as a signer of the
Declaration of Independence and for his work
on our Constitution. He came to the city’s
rescue during this critical time.
Rush tried to contain the virus by
eliminating contact between the healthy and
the sick, and by evacuating those from the city
who were healthy and able. He also stayed
behind to administer care to the infected
during this great epidemic, at great risk to
himself. Though some of hismethods were
controversial at the time, his hard work and
resolve helped greatly during this crisis.
Benjamin Rush was a founding father,
known for his ideas on abolition, healthcare,
and education. But he will always be
remembered for his efforts to save
Philadelphia and its people during the Yellow
Fever Epidemic in 1793.
A NewNation Emerges
55
B
ENJAMIN
R
USH
and the YellowFever
