Why Native Americans Were Vulnerable to European Conquest

Introduction

The Age of Exploration and Discovery enriched Europe, but it decimated the populations of both North and South America. From Christopher Columbus onward, European explorers and settlers encountered Native Americans when they arrived. Some of the encounters were relatively peaceful, but many turned violent. Even when the encounters were peaceful, Native Americans did not fare well after contact with Europeans. There are several reasons why the Europeans were able to conquer the Americas and nearly wipe out the indigenous population. The three main reasons why Native Americans were vulnerable to conquest by European adventurers include their susceptibility to foreign diseases, their inferior military technology, and their lack of tribal unity.

Native Americans were vulnerable to diseases that Europeans unwittingly carried or had already developed immunity against. Vulnerability to disease meant that native communities were physically and psychologically weakened and unable to defend themselves. For example, "The Spanish also had a silent ally, disease. A smallpox outbreak of 70 days decimated the population of Tenochtitlan, enabling Cortes and his crew to infiltrate the city" ("The Creation of American Society, 1450–1763").

Disease and Biological Vulnerability

In some cases, disease was deliberately used as a military tactic — a biological weapon deployed to kill large numbers of Native Americans without the expense of conventional arms. The use of disease as a weapon was so pervasive that it led one historian to investigate a story about the American government distributing blankets tainted with smallpox to Native peoples (Brown). The smallpox blanket incident remains controversial, if not outright false, but disease was undeniably one of the central reasons why Native Americans were vulnerable to conquest.

Another reason why Native Americans were vulnerable to conquest is that their weapons were no match for European weaponry. In Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond discusses how societies like those of Native Americans were at a significant disadvantage compared to Europeans, because the latter had lived in close proximity to rival states and enemies and had therefore naturally developed cutting-edge military technology. Europeans devoted a significant amount of capital to the development of weapons to use against one another. By the time they arrived to conquer the Americas, the indigenous peoples had only bows, arrows, and spears.

Military Technology Disparity

Finally, the indigenous peoples of the Americas were vulnerable because they were diverse and thinly distributed across vast territories. They had no strength in numbers. Although there were several tribal alliances and some tribes controlled large portions of territory, they could not successfully align themselves into a united front against the foreign invaders. The Europeans took advantage of this situation, employing a divide-and-conquer policy that proved highly effective.

Conclusion

The Native populations of North and South America were vulnerable to European adventurers for three main reasons: disease, weapons, and diversity. Disease is the most important reason why the Native populations were weakened — smallpox and other illnesses wiped out a staggering number of indigenous peoples before open conflict even began. Europeans also arrived with advanced weaponry that was completely superior to the wooden and stone implements the Native Americans used, making armed resistance extremely difficult. Finally, Native Americans were vulnerable because they lacked a united political or military strategy with which to confront the European powers. Together, these three factors ensured that the Age of Exploration would prove catastrophic for the indigenous peoples of the Americas.