Response To The Plague DBQ
Connor Green
Mr. Hylan
AP European History
26 September 2014
Chapter 9 DBQ
Throughout the course of the plague, beginning in Italy in 1348, many people had different responses to how the plague was spread and who caused it. These different responses show how the people during the Middle Ages were ignorant to how disease spread and how it was instigated. Many people blamed God and Jews, others prayed, and finally others secluded themselves during the spread of the plague. Most responses proved to be ineffective for stopping the plague, while others were well thought out and logical reasons to escape the plague and its mortifying power. After the plague had already been unleashed in Europe, one of the first reactions was people believing that God had unleashed the deadly disease, as depicted in Giovanni Sercambi’s (Doc 3) illustration of angels, coming down from the heavens, delivering their arrows of death …show more content…
Many people blamed the Jews, while others blamed God and beat themselves in hopes of God intervening. Boccacio (Doc 2) discusses that people would torture themselves, the Flagellants, in hopes of God’s mercy. This response to the plague was very erratic but somewhat logical because even though they beat themselves, it was for a reason, a call for God’s help. With a humanistic point of view, Boccacio believes that there is a more scientific approach to conquering the plague instead of hoping God will come down from the heavens and intervene and help the Flagellants. On the other hand, many people blamed the Jews, for instance when they were cremated in Strasbourg, Germany on Valentine’s Day (Doc 7) where the Jews were alleged to have poisoned the water supply, in which case they were all burned. This response was made out of hatred, the Jews were a scapegoat because no one really knew how the plague came to be. Many people acted angrily and erratically in hopes of ending the plague which ended in even more
Mr. Hylan
AP European History
26 September 2014
Chapter 9 DBQ
Throughout the course of the plague, beginning in Italy in 1348, many people had different responses to how the plague was spread and who caused it. These different responses show how the people during the Middle Ages were ignorant to how disease spread and how it was instigated. Many people blamed God and Jews, others prayed, and finally others secluded themselves during the spread of the plague. Most responses proved to be ineffective for stopping the plague, while others were well thought out and logical reasons to escape the plague and its mortifying power. After the plague had already been unleashed in Europe, one of the first reactions was people believing that God had unleashed the deadly disease, as depicted in Giovanni Sercambi’s (Doc 3) illustration of angels, coming down from the heavens, delivering their arrows of death …show more content…
Many people blamed the Jews, while others blamed God and beat themselves in hopes of God intervening. Boccacio (Doc 2) discusses that people would torture themselves, the Flagellants, in hopes of God’s mercy. This response to the plague was very erratic but somewhat logical because even though they beat themselves, it was for a reason, a call for God’s help. With a humanistic point of view, Boccacio believes that there is a more scientific approach to conquering the plague instead of hoping God will come down from the heavens and intervene and help the Flagellants. On the other hand, many people blamed the Jews, for instance when they were cremated in Strasbourg, Germany on Valentine’s Day (Doc 7) where the Jews were alleged to have poisoned the water supply, in which case they were all burned. This response was made out of hatred, the Jews were a scapegoat because no one really knew how the plague came to be. Many people acted angrily and erratically in hopes of ending the plague which ended in even more