The deadly disease of smallpox is known for directing the course of history. It had a particularly large impact on the New World. From discovery and first settlements, to armed conflict and slavery, smallpox shaped the history of North, Central, and South America greatly.
When Spanish conquistadores under the command of explorer Hernan Cortés invaded the Aztec Empire in modern day Mexico, they brought violence and disease. Cortés attacked the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan and was met by a strong Aztec army. The Aztecs forced the Spanish to retreat, but by this time, the Aztecs were already exposed to smallpox. When Cortés had reorganized his men, they marched back to Tenochtitlan. This time, however, there was barely any fighting force defending the city. Smallpox had devastated most of the population. The Aztecs, as well as many other Amerindian tribes, were very susceptible to smallpox because up until this point, this disease known only to the Old World. The great epidemic that swept over the Aztecs contributed to the belief that the Spanish had supernatural ability, thus establishing their power. These events allowed the Spanish to dominate the Aztec Empire.

The Aztecs were not the only Amerindian tribe effected by the arrival of Europeans. The Incan people suffered a decimating outbreak due to exposure before explorers had even reached their land. By the time the explorer Pizzaro and his troops arrived in what is now Peru, the Incan Empire was in shambles. Most of the population had already been wiped out by smallpox. Events such as this happened throughout the New World, contributing to its colonization by European powers.
Indirectly, smallpox paved the way for slave trade in the New World. With the native population dying off from smallpox, colonists began to run out of a labor force for their growing plantations. The colonists turned to West Africa for their new source of labor. Many West Africans had already been exposed to smallpox, which made them even more valuable in the New World. This began the slave trade to the Americas, which would influence history through the present.
Many of these instances have involved what is now Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, however, the settlement of North America was also impacted by smallpox. The pilgrims that landed in Plymouth in 1620 found very few native people. This is because most had been killed by an outbreak resulting from colonists who had arrived three years earlier. During the Seven Years War, the British at Fort Pitt decided to gain an upper hand on their Native American adversaries by giving them blankets infected with smallpox.

Smallpox also played a role in the American Revolutionary War. During the occupation of Boston by British forces, George Washington and his men were camped outside of the city just after being beaten at Breed’s Hill and Bunker Hill. General Howe of the British Army, however, could not press the attack because there was an active outbreak of smallpox going on in Boston. Washington could not attack the city for fear of losing soldiers to smallpox. This resulted in a stalemate. Meanwhile, Washington had his men variolated. When the British left Boston, Washington sent 1,000 variolated troops to take back the city. In addition, smallpox impacted the Continental Army’s invasion of Quebec. General Benedict Arnold took 2,000 troops to attack the British force in Quebec. However, his men got sick, and many men could not fight. The British troops had been variolated, so they were not as affected by the sudden outbreak. In the end, General Arnold was forced out of Canada for good.

Smallpox had a profound impact on the discovery and development of the New World. Without its influence, much of what we know today may be different. It is hard to believe that one disease could do so much on the world stage. Without smallpox, the western hemisphere would be completely different.

Help Received: The Power of Plagues Chapter 9, History Channel documentary from class, class discussions, http://desertoss.pbworks.com/f/aztecsmallpox.jpg for image 1, http://www.indianz.com/News/2015/11/19/smallpoxblankets.jpg for image 2, https://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Spring04/images/war_immunization.jpg for image 3, Spellcheck