Philadelphia was probably the most important city in the United States in the early national period. In addition to its position as national capital and leading trade city, it reflected a heterogeneity that would become a major characteristic of the nation as a whole. The Quaker community influenced the city in many ways, from the city's architecture to its many wealthy Quaker merchants. Many Huguenot immigrants and their descendants became craftsmen, developing a reputation for high-quality furniture and cabinet-making. The American Philosophical Society, the oldest scientific society in the US, was based in Philadelphia. The African-American community of Philadelphia established the Free African Society and the African Methodist Episcopal (A. M. E.) Church. The city had the most advanced hospital, medical school, jail, and waterworks in the country. Insurance companies and volunteer fire companies ran efficiently.
The greatest challenge Philadelphia faced in the early national period was the yellow fever epidemic of the 1790s. It swept the city, especially in the summer of 1793. Carried by a type of mosquito, it killed more than 4,000 people in 1793 alone--about one out of ten residents of the city. It was particularly devastating because Philadelphia was the capital of the United States at the time, and the nation's leaders had to choose between remaining in the city to calm hysteria and leaving to spare their lives. Most chose to run away, joining the thousands of other people who fled the city. After 1793, however, the yellow fever plague became less severe. Although it hit Philadelphia and other cities several times through to the 1820s, there were no outbreaks matching the severity of the summer and fall of 1793.
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