what is your opinion on the smallpox blankets?
do you think the british/americans actually gave the native americans blankets covered with smallpox in 1763?
can you provide a summary on this event as well?
thanks
(Jeffery Amherst, William Trent, and Eucyer)
IF it was actually done, I think that it was on a small scale and perpetrated by only a select few individuals. Lord Jeffrey Amherst, commander of British forces in North America during the French and Indian War is thought the be the one who gave infected blankets to the Indians.
It is important to note that there is no proof that this was actually done though. There is evidence that it was discussed (when Fort Pitt was under attack and there was widespread violence on the part of the Native Americans). There was already an outbreak at the fort and the notion of giving the infected blankets was discussed via correspondence between Amherst and a colleague.
Also important:At that time, the Europeans believed that diseases were spread by “bad air” and wouldn’t really have known that the blankets would do anything. The smallpox outbreak among the Native American population was most likely caused from contact during conflicts with the Europeans.
While no mainstream historian denies that death and suffering were unjustly inflicted by a number of Europeans upon a great many American natives, most historians argue that genocide, which is a crime of intent, was not the intent of European colonization. Historian Stafford Poole wrote: “There are other terms to describe what happened in the Western Hemisphere, but genocide is not one of them. It is a good propaganda term in an age where slogans and shouting have replaced reflection and learning, but to use it in this context is to cheapen both the word itself and the appalling experiences of the Jews and Armenians, to mention but two of the major victims of this century.” (Wikipedia)
If this is for an assignment, I am sure that most of the people in your class will just say that it probably did happen, that it was horrible, and that the settlers were evil people. I would suggest actually doing some additional research to see if you think it happened and be honest when you write your paper.
Now I just have to see how many “politically correct” people give me a thumbs down and report my answer…..
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