USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Europeans carried a hidden enemy to the Indians: new diseases. Native peoples of America had no immunity to the diseases that European explorers and colonists brought with them. Diseases such as smallpox, influenza, measles, and even chicken pox proved deadly to American Indians.

Detailed explanation-2: -Kings, queens, and explorers alike believed it was their divine duty to convert indigenous people to Christianity in order to save their souls. In deed some explorers, such as Ferdinand Magellan, believed they were an instrument of God in this endeavor.

Detailed explanation-3: -It is estimated that between 80% and 95% of the Native American population died within the first 100-150 years of European contact with the Americas. Those settlers that survived, together with new arrivals, began to cultivate the land, growing crops such as tobacco.

Detailed explanation-4: -All Indians lived in organized societies with political structures, moral codes, and religious beliefs. All had adapted to the particular environments in which they lived. The idea of private land ownership was foreign; land was held communally and worked collectively.