Influenza killed more people than those killed as a direct result of World War I, but the influenza epidemic of 1918 (referred to in the 1918 and 1919 as the “Spanish Flu”) is largely overlooked in many history courses. Spread in part by thousands of soldiers who traveled abroad while fighting in the war, the disease infected people indiscriminately, spread rapidly, and had a shockingly high mortality rate. It is estimated that between 20 million to 50 million people died worldwide as a result of contracting this strain of influenza. In the United States alone, nearly 675,000 deaths were attributed to this virus, and it was credited with reducing the average life expectancy by 12 years. The day-to-day lives of countless people were disrupted. Resources to combat the spread of the disease were limited as doctors struggled to learn more in a short amount of time. Though the epidemic gradually came to an end, its legacy resonates today as scientists, medical professionals, and governments strive to understand, prepare for, and prevent outbreaks of similar diseases. This activity is designed to help students analyze the impact of the influenza epidemic of 1918 and its effect on modern medicine.
Author: Leif Liberg, Saint Mary's High School
Students will work in groups of 2 and use the primary/secondary sources provided to fill in the charts. Students will analyze primary source documents from the document collection from the National Archives and Records Administration that illustrates the impact of the epidemic on daily life in the United States.
In the chart below students will utilize the secondary source to answer all questions.
.
Primary sources are firsthand accounts of events. Some examples would be diaries, memoirs, photographs, correspondence and personal histories.
Secondary sources are second hand accounts, interpretation, analysis, generalizations from other researchers. Examples: journal articles, reviews, and academic books.
