1700: Virginia Native peoples succumb to smallpox

Between 1600 and 1700, 75 percent of the Native peoples in Virginia die, including members of the once powerful Powhatan Chiefdom of more than 30 tribes, including the Mattaponi, Pamunkey, and Chickahominy. Smallpox, introduced by English settlers at Jamestown, sweeps the Atlantic coast from Florida to Maine, and moves inland.

Theme

Epidemics

Region

Southeast