GEOG 3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Grand Banks Of Newfoundland, Hernando De Soto
29 Jul 2020
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Assisted by enslaved africans, colonists and settlers from northern europe built villages, towns, port cities, and plantations along the eastern coast over the next two centuries. By the mid-1800s, they had occupied most lands of native american and aboriginal peoples into the central part of the continent. The rapid expansion of european settlement was facilitated by the vulnerability of native. Having been isolated from the rest of the world for many years, native american and aboriginal populations had no immunity to diseases such as measles and smallpox. These diseases killed up to 90% of native american and aboriginal populations within the first 100 years of contact. Technologically advanced european weapons, trained dogs, and horses also took a large toll on native american and aboriginal peoples, who often had only bows and arrows. There were roughly 18 million native americans and aboriginal peoples in north. By 1542, after just a few spanish expeditions, there were only half that number.
