Nov 15, 2018 · North American colonists’ warfare against Native Americans often was horrifyingly brutal. But one method they appear to have used—perhaps just once—shocks even more than all the bloody slaughter:...

Jun 26, 2023 · Though the story of the blankets infected with smallpox looms large in American history, with one doctor calling it “bioterrorism,” the truth is complicated. There is just one recorded case of colonists using smallpox blankets to deliberately spread disease among Indigenous Americans in 1763.

Nov 15, 2023 · Lingering questions surround deliberate smallpox outbreaks among Native Americans, leaving a legacy of trauma and distrust in Native communities to this day. This article seeks to answer these questions.

Aug 15, 2017 · The 1837–38 epidemic spawned the narrative that white settlers spread “smallpox in the blankets” to clear American Indians off the land. Is it myth or fact? Genocide or hokum?

Native communities have numerous stories that were passed down through the generations about receiving or trading blankets and subsequently experiencing a deadly smallpox epidemic. The Hidatsa tell of a smallpox epidemic in 1837 that resulted after …

The most famous “smallpox blanket” incident in American history took place in the midst of Pontiac’s Rebellion in 1763. In May and June of that year, a loose confederation of tribes inspired by the Ottawa war leader Pontiac launched attacks on British-held posts throughout the Great Lakes and Midwest.

Dec 11, 2018 · North American colonists’ warfare against Native Americans often was horrifyingly brutal. But one method they appear to have used shocks even more than all the bloody slaughter: The gifting of...

Amherst and Smallpox Blankets – Excerpts from actual letters in which Lord Jeffery Amherst approves smallpox plan (dated 16 July 1763) and discusses other methods of killing Native Americans with Colonel Henry Bouquet.

Mar 23, 2023 · Scientists have proven that smallpox doesn’t survive in blankets for more than 24 hours. Consequently, the smallpox-infected blankets didn’t have their desired impact. The Ford Pitt was saved by the Bouquet’s relief force.

Nov 9, 2017 · The story of smallpox blankets offered as gifts to indigenous peoples as a weapon of war is ubiquitous — but is it based in truth? And did our increased medical understanding of smallpox lead to its use as a biological weapon?