Generally, a person may be punished for sedition only when he or she makes statements that create a Clear and Present Danger to rights that the government may lawfully protect (schenck v. united states, 249 U.S. 47, 39 S. Ct. 247, 63 L. Ed. 470 [1919]).
The epidemic reached its zenith in the years 1348 to 1350, though the disease never vanished entirely. It is widely believed that the cause of the Black Death was bubonic plague, an infectious and fatal illness spread by rodents and the fleas infesting them.
Short-Term Effects of the Black Death. The major short-term effect of the plague was shock. Losing half your family, seeing your neighbors healthy one day then dead the next morning created an atmosphere of fear, grief and hopelessness. Many people, overcome by depression, isolated themselves in their homes.