Massachusetts smallpox epidemic facts for kids

The Massachusetts smallpox epidemic was a serious sickness that hit Massachusetts in 1633. Smallpox outbreaks happened often back then, almost every ten years. This disease caused a lot of problems for both European settlers and Native American tribes.

How Smallpox Reached America

Europeans brought smallpox to North America when they started settling here. Many Europeans were already immune to the disease. This was because they lived in crowded cities in Europe. However, some settlers on the Mayflower ship did get sick. This included their doctor, Samuel Fuller.

Impact on European Settlers

In 1630, most European settlers were not badly affected by smallpox. They watched as their Native American neighbors became very sick. One colonist wrote that Native Americans "fell down so generally of this disease." They became too sick to help each other, make fires, or even get water. There was no one left to bury the dead.

Puritan Views on the Epidemic

Despite the terrible effects of smallpox, some Puritans saw it differently. A Puritan clergyman named Increase Mather was one of Harvard College's first presidents. He believed the smallpox epidemic was a gift from God. He thought it was God's way to solve land arguments between Native Americans and Puritans.

Smallpox and Native Americans

Native Americans did not have immunity to smallpox. This meant they got very sick and often died. By 1618, a year after the first big outbreak in Massachusetts, more than two-thirds of the Native Americans in the area had died. This included the Mohawks and Iroquois tribes.

The 1633 Outbreak

The epidemic continued to spread. By 1633, smallpox infected entire tribes. People were too sick to care for their families. They could not even bury their dead. The disease caused huge losses among the Native American population.