Plague Dbq

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In 1347, Europe was swept with one of the most devastating human catastrophes recorded in history, the Black Death. During the late 1340s and early 1350s, the lethal pandemic affected parts of western Asia and North Africa and it is believed to have begun in Central Asia in the early 1330s. Historians estimate that “the Black Death killed anywhere from 33 to 60 percent of Europe’s total population—roughly 25 million to 45 million men, women, and children.” (7) The Black Death that swept through Europe during the 1340s was an important event in history because it showed how a plague could easily spread through an unprepared population and the consequences it created.
During the Middle Ages, the pandemic was usually referred to as the Great …show more content…

The fleas of the rats carried the disease from person to person. But this theory does not explain how quickly the plague spread all over the world. In Clerkenwell, London, skeletons from the 14th century were discovered and examined by scientists. Using the latest technology and modern medicine, scientists analyzed the teeth of the corpses and now believe that the plague was airborne and spread through coughs and sneezes. According to an article by Arthur Martin, “the plague—spread by the bites of infected fleas living on black rats—mutated into a more virulent strain that passed easily from human to …show more content…

One of the beliefs was that “Jews, bent on world domination, were poisoning the wells of the Christian cities and towns all over the continent.” (60) As a result, Jewish men, women, and children were slaughtered by the dozens in European communities. In France, families of Jews were taken from their homes and burned alive. According to an article by Berel Wein, in January 1349, an “entire Jewish community in the city of Basel was burned at the stake,” and other Jewish communities were also burned or

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