Smallpox in Colonial America

Paper Summary:

This paper focuses on disease as a catalyst, paying special attention to the role of smallpox in subjugating the Native American nations. The first part is an overview of how various diseases have affected North American Indians from the arrival of the first Europeans in the 1500s to the Spanish missionaries who first came to Mexico and California in the 18th century. The body of the paper focuses on the use of disease, particularly smallpox, as a biological weapon against the Native Americans during the Seven Year's War. Finally, the paper assesses the short-term and long-term effects that disease has had on both the Old and the New Worlds, which include the decimation of the Native American population as a whole.

Outline
The Columbian Exchange
Smallpox and Warfare
Effects of Smallpox on Native American Populations
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The most immediate effect of the Columbian exchange, however, was seen in the massive decline of the Native American population. The European explorers were unwitting carriers of diseases such as smallpox and cholera, illnesses which were unknown in the New World. Because they lacked natural resistance, Native Americans quickly succumbed to the disease. They also transmitted the virus to other populations. In South America and the Caribbean, an estimated 8 to 20 million people died, many without even encountering a white man."

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