8/19/20, 12)45 PM Plague and Protest Go Hand in Hand | JSTOR Daily Page 1 of 8 https://daily.jstor.org/plague-and-protest-go-hand-in-hand/ Plague and Protest Go Hand in Hand Scholars of early modern England have shown how plague and protest are often correlated. The Black Death of 1348 laid the groundwork for the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, for example. A street during the plague in London via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_street_during_the_plague_in_London_with_a_death_cart_and_m_Wellcome_V0010604.jpg) By: Emma K. Atwood (https://daily.jstor.org/daily-author/emma-k-atwood/) and Sarah Williamson (https://daily.jstor.org/daily-author/sarah- williamson/) | August 19, 2020 8 minutes A deadly and contagious illness sweeps the country, and strict quarantine measures are swiftly implemented. The death count rises, but government reporting is unreliable. Social isolation takes its toll as political tensions escalate. Citizens break government mandates, asserting their right to work. Neighbors turn on each other. In response to long-standing social injustices, riots break out, and protesters demand systemic change. Sound familiar? While the parallels are striking, this is not a description of 2020. It’s a description of early modern England. Starting with the Black Death, in 1348, and continuing for more than 300 years, Europe was struck with incessant waves of plague. In England, this proved especially deadly between 1563 and 1666, when multiple epidemics hit London. The social response generated by these outbreaks mirrors what we are experiencing today. Plague and protest, in short, are correlated.