Essay On The Causes Of The Plague Dbq

In the middle of the fourteenth century, a plague spread across Europe. Many millions of people died from the epidemic, up until the eighteenth century. Throughout those four or so centuries, regular Europeans tried and failed to find a cause for the plague, leading to some interesting scapegoats. Europeans had varying responses to this new epidemic; many were fearful of the future, but some decided to use the chaos to their advantage.
Many people were fearful of this new plague that was spreading. Much of this fear was spurned by the fact that no one truly knew the cause of the plague. Many had their theories, however, and many blamed the Jews for the panic that ensued from the epidemic. Because of this, many European rulers from expelling the Jews from their countries. In England, it was the filth of the streets and of the dogs that caused such a widespread and deadly disease. (Document 2) The rich of France were so terrified and economically endowed that they were able to flee the country, leaving the poor to the mercy of the plague. (Document 3)

For many, the plague represented a shift in stability, making it all the more dangerous.

Trade in England stopped, for fear that the plague would come in from foreign traders. Trade in full stopped soon after. (Document 14) There was another instance in England, but it had less of an effect on Europe as a whole. Wigs were an important accessory in the 17th century, and during this time period, wigs were made from the hair of dead people. However, most dead people died from the plague. It was suspected that people could get sick from using the wigs, and that was not a chance English noblemen were willing to take. (Document

13)
While many did not have any idea what to do, there were some who took advantage of this plague that was sweeping the continent. In Italy, the sickness was smeared on the town gates. When people touched them, the were infected and died. Heirs to large estates took advantage of this and paid people to obtain their inheritances as quickly as they could. (Document 4) A similar event occured in Spain. There, nurses refused care to the sick, and even tried to make them die more quickly. They did this reportedly to collect their fee more quickly. (Document 11) The report was written by Miguel Parets, a Spanish tanner from the area. He wrote a journal outlining a year of his life, when the plague broke out in Barcelona.
Europeans reacted to the centuries-long epidemic known as the Black Death in a variety of ways. Some were swept into the chaos of it all, while others abused it. Eventually, Europe became stabilized again, but the wounds of the Black Death were not fully healed as time went on.