Question

Calvin Martin (1987) explains that from 1781 to 1782, an estimated 60% of Indigenous peoples from the Upper Great Lakes and northern Plains died of __________.

A) Old age
B) Unspecified causes
C) Cultural assimilation
D) Epidemic diseases

Answer 1

From 1781 to 1782, an estimated 60% of Indigenous peoples from the Upper Great Lakes and northern Plains died of epidemic diseases introduced by Europeans, such as smallpox, influenza, and measles.

Step-by-step explanation:

Calvin Martin (1987) underscores a dark period in North American history, between 1781 and 1782, during which an estimated 60% of Indigenous peoples from the Upper Great Lakes and northern Plains died due to epidemic diseases. European colonization had a profound and devastating impact on the Native American populations due to their lack of immunity to the diseases that Europeans brought with them.

Some of these diseases included smallpox, influenza, and measles, which were cited as the major cause of death among indigenous tribes. This tragic loss of life reflects the vulnerability of the native populations to illnesses which Europeans had been exposed to for centuries, leading to significantly higher levels of immunity in the latter.