Epidemics and Enslavement

Paul Kelton is an associate professor of history at the University of Kansas.

• Contents Acknowledgments   Series Editors' Introduction  Introduction      1. Disease Ecology of the Native Southeast, 1000-1492 2. The Protohistoric Puzzle, 1492-1659    3. Slave Raids and Smallpox, 1659-1700    4. The Epidemiological Origins of the Yamasee War, 1700-1715      Conclusion  Notes Bibliography      Index

"With its valuable description of the connection between colonialism and epidemics, this book is a welcome addition to existing scholarship on the ecological aspects of European colonization."—H. G. Kong, Choice "Kelton's pathbreaking work is worthy of a place on the bookshelf of the colonial Southeast."—James H. O'Donnell III, Journal of American History "Kelton convincingly argues that the trade in Native slaves was one of the prinicipal factors leading to the transfer and heavy mortality of European communicable diseases beginning in 1696, and his careful evaluation of its impact on the dozens of ethnic entities in the Southeast is exceptional. . . . Kelton's compelling contribution should stimulate further research and refinement of arguments."—Noble David Cook, American Historical Review "An important book. . . . Essential reading for students of Native America, early America, the American South, and environmental history. It will help significantly to reshape scholars' understanding of native-colonial relations."—James D. Rice, Virginia Magazine of History and Biography "Kelton's skillful weaving together of archaeology, epidemiology, historical demography, and economic history, both illustrates the power of interdisciplinary history and provides a fresh interpretation of the native experience with European invaders in what would become the southeastern United States."—Russell R. Menard, Journal of Interdisciplinary History   "Epidemics and Enslavement makes an important contribution not only to the history of disease in the Native Southeast but also to the larger role of disease in history. . . . [Kelton's] scholarship will force historians to question, if not completely abandon, long-held assumptions concerning the causes and timing of epidemic diseases in the Native Southeast between 1492 and 1715."—Greg K. Sutton, Chronicles of Oklahoma "A powerful book. . . . Kelton forces us to consider the spread of epidemic disease as a culturally medicated phenomenon rather than an inevitable biological occurrence, an insight that itself has profound implications for the study of colonialism elsewhere in the Americas."—Steven C. Hahn, Journal of Southern History "This book is a must read for all Native American scholars, whatever their focus of study, for it debunks many myths and lays the groundwork for new areas of study."—Anne M. McCulloch, South Carolina Historical Magazine