I: Plague,
Fire II:
Philadelphia
III:
Circulation IV:
Urban Limits V:
Tripping
VI:
Reform
VII: Expositions
Assignment #4: Due February 22nd:
Visit Washington Square and its
surroundings to get the lay of the land. In the
voice of the historical persona you've been assigned, write a two-page (600-word)
essay or letter using the following guidelines: It's a late summer morning in 1793.
You're standing in front of the Walnut Street Jail at 6th and Walnut Streets.
Someone passes by staggering and drops unconscious at your feet. From physical signs
on his body, you're pretty sure he's got the fever. What do you do? What else
happens to you during the rest of the day and night? It's the next morning: where
are you now? Who are you with? Wherever you are, you find you've got an hour or two
to record your experiences of the previous 24 hours. Perhaps you write a letter to a
friend, or an article for a newspaper, or an entry in your diary; or, if your
persona is illiterate, you tell the story to a stranger and he or she transcribes
what you say. Whatever form it takes, your response to this assignment should be
vivid, detailed, historically informed, and above all consistent with your assigned
persona.