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  1. AD 1493–1550s
    Native peoples begin dying from European diseases
    Diseases unknown to them spread rapidly among Native peoples, who lack immunity to viruses and bacteria ...
  2. AD 1493
    The Pope asserts rights to colonize, convert, and enslave
    Pope Alexander VI issues a papal bull or decree, “Inter Caetera," in which he authorizes Spain and Portugal ...
  3. AD 1501
    Portuguese explorer kidnaps northeastern Native peoples
    Portuguese explorer Gaspar Corte-Real abducts two shiploads of Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and other peoples ...
  4. AD 1513
    El Requierimento: Spain demands subservience
    The “Laws of Burgos” are the first legal code regarding Spanish actions in the Americas. They direct ...
  5. AD 1520–62
    ‘Virgin-soil’ epidemics devastate Native populations
    “Virgin-soil” epidemics sweep through populations with no prior exposure to a particular infectious ...
  6. AD 1537
    Pope Paul III opposes enslaving Native peoples
    Pope Paul III issues a decree, “Sublimus Deus,” opposing the enslavement of indigenous peoples and calling ...
  7. 1761
    First known influenza pandemic from the Americas begins
    Influenza is one of the diseases that Europeans brought to the New World. Unlike previous influenza ...
  8. 1775
    Smallpox strikes again in North America
    As the American Revolution begins, epidemic smallpox spreads across North America, killing hundreds ...