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What killed most of the Native American population in the 16th century?
Between 1492 and 1600, 90% of the indigenous populations in the Americas had died. That means about 55 million people perished because of violence and never-before-seen pathogens like smallpox, measles, and influenza.
What disease killed the most Native Americans during the age of exploration?
Smallpox was the disease brought by Europeans that was most destructive to the Native Americans, both in terms of morbidity and mortality. The first well-documented smallpox epidemic in the Americas began in Hispaniola in late 1518 and soon spread to Mexico.
How many Native Americans were killed?
In the ensuing email exchange, Thornton indicated that his own rough estimate is that about 12 million Indigenous people died in what is today the coterminous United States between 1492 and 1900.
How many Native American died of smallpox?
Commissioner of Indian Affairs Carey A. Harris estimated that 17,200 Indians died of smallpox in 1837–38, based on numbers from the main tribes involved: Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Lakota, Assiniboine and Blackfoot.