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Disease and catastrophe

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 5.3

Of all the kinds of life exchanged when the Old and New Worlds met, lowly germs had the greatest impact. Europeans and later Africans brought smallpox and a host of other diseases with them to America, where those diseases killed as much as 90 percent of the native population of two continents. Europeans came away lucky -- with only a few tropical diseases from Africa and, probably, syphilis from the New World. In America, disease destoyed civilizations.

Format: article

By David Walbert.

Two worlds: Educator's guide

Lesson plans and activities to be used with "Two Worlds: Prehistory, Contact, and the Lost Colony" -- the first part of a North Carolina history textbook for secondary students.

Format: book (multiple pages)

Understanding the Columbian Exchange

In Two worlds: Educator's guide, page 5.1

This lesson will help students think about the effects of the Columbian Exchange, particularly the exchange of disease as it affected the psychology of the Europeans and Native populations in the early settlement of the Americas.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

The fate of North Carolina's native peoples

In Colonial North Carolina, page 3.8

After the Tuscarora War (1711–1713) and Yamasee War (1715–1716), only the Cherokee among North Carolina's native peoples remained intact. The Coastal Plain and Piedmont were effectively cleared for European settlement.

Format: article

By David Walbert.

Civil War casualties

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 4.14

Historians estimate that about 620,000 Americans died in the Civil War -- almost as many as have died in all other U.S. wars combined. This article explains why.

Format: article

By David Walbert.

England's flowering

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 4.1

The reign of England's Queen Elizabeth (1558–1603) was marked by a proliferation of the arts, an expansion of private markets, and a dedication to world exploration and privateering.

Format: article

Native peoples of the Chesapeake region

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 2.9

The Chesapeake Bay has been home to Native Americans for over 10,000 years. Throughout their histories — even to the present day — these societies have adapted to difficult circumstances and unforeseen changes. Chesapeake natives have faced wars, epidemic diseases, loss of land, and treaty violations.

Format: article

The De Soto expedition

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 3.3

Hernando De Soto’s expedition through the southeastern United States in 1539–43 was one of the earliest of the early contacts between Europeans and native peoples. While historical documents tell the story of do Soto's journey, advances in both history and archaeology have enabled researchers to reconstruct the de Soto route.

Format: article

Juan Pardo, the Indians of Guatari, and first contact

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 3.4

The Guatari Indians lived in an influential settlement near Trading Ford and were led by a female chief. In 1567, they encountered Spanish explorers led by Captain Juan Pardo who came through the North Carolina Piedmont with grand hopes of creating a powerful empire.

Format: article

Resources on the web

Contagion: Historical Views of Diseases and Epidemics

This site provides background information, historical pamphlets, serials, books, and manuscripts related to diseases and epidemics from world history, including Philadelphia's yellow fever of 1793 and London's Great Plague of 1695. (Learn more)

Format: website/general

Provided by: The President and Fellows of Harvard University

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Articles, video, audio, and photographic galleries give in-depth looks at global news about world events, disasters, refugee conditions, food crisis, disease epidemics, and much more from all over the world. A youth section provides kids with information about... (Learn more)

Format: website/general

Provided by: International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Cresent Societies

Whatever Happened to Polio

This site provides background information on Polio, vaccines, the differences between Salk's killed-virus vaccine, and Sabin's live-virus vaccine, and more. (Learn more)

Format: website/activity

Provided by: National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

West Nile weather

In this Science Update, from Science NetLinks, students hear how hot summers can mean a higher risk for West Nile virus epidemics from an atmospheric scientist at the Illinois State Water Survey. (Learn more)

Format: activity/lesson plan (grade 8 Science)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science