Paul Kelton Reihenfolge der Bücher (Chronologisch)

How smallpox, or Variola, devastated populations during European colonization is a well-known narrative. Historian Paul Kelton challenges the “virgin soil thesis,” which attributes Native American suffering to their lack of immunities and ineffective healers. Instead, he emphasizes that the root cause of indigenous depopulation was colonialism, not disease. Kelton's account begins with the period from 1518 to the mid-seventeenth century, when limited interactions with Europeans did not significantly alter Cherokee lives. By the 1690s, English slave raids led to a devastating smallpox epidemic among the Cherokees. Throughout the eighteenth century, they effectively responded to epidemics using their own medicinal practices, even as they faced severe violence from British forces during the Anglo-Cherokee War and American militias in the Revolutionary War. The Cherokee population suffered more from warfare than from smallpox, rebounding in the nineteenth century. They embraced vaccination while maintaining their traditional medical practices. This nuanced history highlights the lived experiences of the Cherokees, challenging the simplistic narratives perpetuated by Europeans and their descendants, and revealing how these stories have obscured the complexities of colonialism.

This collection of essays features contributions from historians, anthropologists, and archaeologists who explore the profound changes experienced by Native American communities in the South during the first two centuries of Western civilization in the Americas. The essays provide insights into how this transformative era shaped American Indian society and continues to influence these communities today. The authors examine the historical forces, trends, and events that contributed to the evolution of Southeastern Indian culture and society. Key topics include the impact of European diseases, long-distance migrations, the Spanish mission system, the English plantation system, and the fur trade involving various European powers. The book encompasses a wide geographic and social scope, addressing the indigenous peoples of regions such as Florida, Virginia, Maryland, the Appalachian Mountains, the Carolina Piedmont, the Ohio Valley, and the Central and Lower Mississippi Valleys. The insights presented reflect the most current scholarship on the social history of the South, highlighting the complexities and dynamics of Native American life during this pivotal period.