many native Americans died from a disease called smallpox?

Answer 1

Fact is, on at least one occasion a high-ranking European considered infecting the Indians with smallpox as a tactic of war. I'm talking about Lord Jeffrey Amherst, commander of British forces in North America during the French and Indian War (1756-'63). Amherst and a subordinate discussed, apparently seriously, sending infected blankets to hostile tribes. What's more, we've got the documents to prove it, thanks to the enterprising research of Peter d'Errico, legal studies professor at the University of Massachusetts at (fittingly) Amherst. D'Errico slogged through hundreds of reels of microfilmed correspondence looking for the smoking gun, and he found it.

The exchange took place during Pontiac's Rebellion, which broke out after the war, in 1763. Forces led by Pontiac, a chief of the Ottawa who had been allied with the French, laid siege to the English at Fort Pitt.

According to historian Francis Parkman, Amherst first raised the possibility of giving the Indians infected blankets in a letter to Colonel Henry Bouquet, who would lead reinforcements to Fort Pitt. No copy of this letter has come to light, but we do know that Bouquet discussed the matter in a postscript to a letter to Amherst on July 13, 1763:

P.S. I will try to inocculate the Indians by means of Blankets that may fall in their hands, taking care however not to get the disease myself. As it is pity to oppose good men against them, I wish we could make use of the Spaniard's Method, and hunt them with English Dogs. Supported by Rangers, and some Light Horse, who would I think effectively extirpate or remove that Vermine.

On July 16 Amherst replied, also in a postscript:

P.S. You will Do well to try to Innoculate the Indians by means of Blanketts, as well as to try Every other method that can serve to Extirpate this Execrable Race. I should be very glad your Scheme for Hunting them Down by Dogs could take Effect, but England is at too great a Distance to think of that at present.

On July 26 Bouquet wrote back:

I received yesterday your Excellency's letters of 16th with their Inclosures. The signal for Indian Messengers, and all your directions will be observed.

We don't know if Bouquet actually put the plan into effect, or if so with what result. We do know that a supply of smallpox-infected blankets was available, since the disease had broken out at Fort Pitt some weeks previously. We also know that the following spring smallpox was reported to be raging among the Indians in the vicinity.

To modern ears, this talk about infecting the natives with smallpox, hunting them down with dogs, etc., sounds over the top. But it's easy to believe Amherst and company were serious. D'Errico provides other quotes from Amherst's correspondence that suggest he considered Native Americans subhumans who ought to be exterminated. Check out his research for yourself at www.nativeweb.org/pages/l egal/amherst/lord_jeff.html. He not only includes transcriptions but also reproduces the relevant parts of the incriminating letters.

Answer 2

Um, yes. The English settlers brought the foreign disease to America, so the Natives had no immunity to it, and therefore could not fight off the smallpox and died as a result.

Answer 3

Yes? Lots of people died from a disease called smallpox.

Answer 4

Yes.
Of course not only native americans died of this disease, but as it was not known in the Americas and brought over by europeans conquerors and collonists (not only english, but spaniards, portuguese and more), no individual in America had developed immunity so the spread of the disease in the years following first contact, amounted to a real large scale catastrophe.

Answer 5

Many were given trade blankets that had been infected with the smallpox virus to aid in wiping them out. Even after they were made to live on reservations.

Answer 6

a contagious viral disease. Includes fever, prostration and pustular rash. Caused by 2 species: variolar minor and variolar major.
Vaccinia vaccination has been effective to erradicating smallpox. It has been several years since any natural case has occured.

Answer 7

yeah they died because the Europeans and Americans gave them infected blankets because it was an old world disease and the natives had no immunity its one of the first cases of using a biological agent they did it to try and wipe them out to get their land

Answer 8

yes that 's true that disease make the face full of buttons big and full of liquids this disease is easy if u r child but severe when u r older i had this disease when i was child and i have some scars in my body

Answer 9

Yes.

Answer 10

yes, and those small poxs were brought to them by the "white man"