Alan Kraut Silent Travelers Chapter Summary
Silent Travelers: Germs, genes, and the “Immigrant menace” by: Alan M. Kraut
McCall Paynter
HIST 3310-001
Professor Diane Britton
October 8, 2012
Alan M. Kraut’s Silent Travelers: Germs, genes, and the “Immigrant menace” traced American’s efforts to cope with immigrants whose labor was needed, but foreignness was feared. Nearly every ethnic group that has migrated to the United States, Kraut wrote, was greeted by hostility. During America’s peak immigration period between 1890 and the 1920’s , Americans have blamed the Irish for bringing cholera, the Italians for bringing polio, the Chinese for carrying bubonic plague, the Jews for spreading tuberculosis, and the Haitians for bringing AIDS. Kraut describes the relationship among …show more content…
Many Native American tribes were endangered of extinction because of the contamination the newcomers brought. Once the interaction of natives and newcomers occurred, many tribes died from malaria and tuberculosis. An estimated 1,100,000 Indians were reduced to 10,000 by disease (p. 13). Horrendous mortality rates were also due to swine influenza. The hogs that were traded with the Columbus expedition appeared to have spread infection. Before Columbus, Native Americans were not exposed to domestic animals, thus, they were first exposed when Columbus landed with sheep, horses, cows, and other animals. Because natives had no immunity to animal viruses; the animals were the mediators to most deaths. Though, it was not long until Native Americans were being affected with human-borne diseases. Illnesses that Europeans classified as childhood disease, such as, whooping cough, small pox, and mumps, had affected many Native Americans due to their lack of natural immunities (p. 14). Because many members of tribes had died from sickness, survivors had often merged with other tribes. Each merge required assimilations, which weakened tribal rituals and …show more content…
With the growing fear of disease; the start of legislative quarantine was formed. Quarantine was the first line of defense. Kraut explained a colony in Massachusetts passed a law that selectively excluded the sick or physically disabled. A quote from chapter one explains, “No Lame, impotent, or infirm persons, incapable of maintaining themselves, should be received…” (p. 23). Kraut stated that by 1916, exclusion reached up to sixty-nine percent. The mystery of what kind of people to admit into American and how to increase their physical and mental potential was a central theme of immigration history and health care in the United
McCall Paynter
HIST 3310-001
Professor Diane Britton
October 8, 2012
Alan M. Kraut’s Silent Travelers: Germs, genes, and the “Immigrant menace” traced American’s efforts to cope with immigrants whose labor was needed, but foreignness was feared. Nearly every ethnic group that has migrated to the United States, Kraut wrote, was greeted by hostility. During America’s peak immigration period between 1890 and the 1920’s , Americans have blamed the Irish for bringing cholera, the Italians for bringing polio, the Chinese for carrying bubonic plague, the Jews for spreading tuberculosis, and the Haitians for bringing AIDS. Kraut describes the relationship among …show more content…
Many Native American tribes were endangered of extinction because of the contamination the newcomers brought. Once the interaction of natives and newcomers occurred, many tribes died from malaria and tuberculosis. An estimated 1,100,000 Indians were reduced to 10,000 by disease (p. 13). Horrendous mortality rates were also due to swine influenza. The hogs that were traded with the Columbus expedition appeared to have spread infection. Before Columbus, Native Americans were not exposed to domestic animals, thus, they were first exposed when Columbus landed with sheep, horses, cows, and other animals. Because natives had no immunity to animal viruses; the animals were the mediators to most deaths. Though, it was not long until Native Americans were being affected with human-borne diseases. Illnesses that Europeans classified as childhood disease, such as, whooping cough, small pox, and mumps, had affected many Native Americans due to their lack of natural immunities (p. 14). Because many members of tribes had died from sickness, survivors had often merged with other tribes. Each merge required assimilations, which weakened tribal rituals and …show more content…
With the growing fear of disease; the start of legislative quarantine was formed. Quarantine was the first line of defense. Kraut explained a colony in Massachusetts passed a law that selectively excluded the sick or physically disabled. A quote from chapter one explains, “No Lame, impotent, or infirm persons, incapable of maintaining themselves, should be received…” (p. 23). Kraut stated that by 1916, exclusion reached up to sixty-nine percent. The mystery of what kind of people to admit into American and how to increase their physical and mental potential was a central theme of immigration history and health care in the United