1616-1619An epidemic decimated the Indigenous population along the North Atlantic coast.People and Communities, Indigenous People's History
The specific cause of this epidemic remains unknown. Indigenous people of the Americas lacked immunity to European diseases and to soil and water contamination caused by European trading. In some areas, the population was reduced by as much as 90%. This period of decline in coastal populations is often referred to as “the Great Dying.” Colonists interpreted the decimation of the Indigenous population as part of the “divine providence” that enabled the English to replace Native inhabitants.
Winthrop, John; Hosmer, James Kendall, ed., James Kendall Hosmer, ed. “History of New England,” 1630-1649. C. Scribner’s Sons, 1908, https://archive.org/details/winthropsjournal04wint/page/n11/mode/2up Marr, John S. and John T. Cathey. February 2010. New Hypothesis for Cause of Epidemic among Native Americans, New England, 1616-1619. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Historical Review 16 (2): http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/16/2/09-0276_article.htm