how epidemics and disease influenced the settler society in Canada before 1900

how epidemics and disease influenced the settler society in Canada before 1900

The indigenous people of the Americas came into contact with European settlers at around the 15^th century. As a consequence, they came into contact with individuals with different customs, religions, and diseases. This encounter resulted in the wiping of so many indigenous populations just in a short period – decades. Many studies have been conducted to examine how the settler society was affected by these diseases. Some studies have demonstrated that some of these diseases continue to affect even modern-day populations. Also, other studies have suggested that most of these diseases, for example, measles, tuberculosis, and smallpox that were brought by the Europeans, have molded the immune system of the settler society in Canada – even in their genetic makeup. Today, I am going to focus on how these epidemics and disease influenced the settler society in Canada before 1900.

The infectious disease subject among the indigenous populations of Canada is central to Canadian history. Modern Canada was an area that was settled by the Europeans. Then indigenous people were struggling with various old world diseases’ epidemics like measles and smallpox. Robert Boyd called these epidemics a demographic crisis. For instance, he said that the main reason why the Indians were depopulated in the Northwest is because of the diseases. It is important to note to you that populations with no previous exposure to the infections would record a mortality rate of over 30%. The most critical epidemic in Canada was the one that took place between 1862 and 1863. This epidemic emerged when there was an increasing settlement on the Pacific Coast. Many scholars have argued that this epidemic dealt a final blow to the aboriginal people in British Columbia, paving the way for the people of European descent to colonize their land.

When Europeans started coming to America’s shores, they came with epidemic diseases. These diseases resulted in the greatest depopulation that had never been seen in the history of man. Before the arrival of the settlers (Europeans), diseases like yellow fever, measles, and smallpox had never existed among the aboriginal people. The indigenous people had never come into contact with such diseases. Therefore, they had not developed antibodies required to defeat the diseases.  For example, we can use the arrival of Christopher Columbus as our starting point. In the following 400 years, the indigenous populations had been reduced drastically. As a consequence, the Europeans were accorded an easy time of exploring the region and acquired new territories as they were dealing with already weak communities.

Smallpox was the worst of all the diseases that affected the indigenous populations making it easier for the Europeans to come in and acquire new territories and settle in the region. However, it is important to note that the historians have not managed to catalog all encounters between the communities and Europeans. But I will use two stories here to serve as significant examples. First, when Jacques Cartier was traveling the St. Lawrence River, he observed heavily populated and well-established communities around Stadacona. This was a village in Iroquoian situated at a place that is currently known as Quebec City.  He realized that the indigenous people were dying of an illness that could not affect him and his men. Historians later identified this illness as smallpox. The same route was explored by Samuel de Champion 70 years later in 1603. At this time, Stadacona was deserted and become a ghost town. Therefore, it was very easy for them to acquire the territory and settled there.

Secondly, it is about the international spread of the epidemic and how it influenced the settlers to settle in the region that is now Canada. The Odawa chief started to resist British rule in 1763. The leader of the British army, Sir Jeffrey Amherst, suggested that the army introduce smallpox as a weapon. He suggested that they use infected blankets that were being given to the first nations which they were fighting. He said that the best way of inoculating the Indians was by using infected blankets to eliminate the exorable race – the Indians. However, most historians have said that there is little evidence that this act was carried out by the British army. Nevertheless, a Fort Pitt trader by the name William Trent explained that there was a meeting where the two members of Delaware nation attended. The two people were given handkerchiefs and blankets infected with smallpox. He said, “I hope it will the desired effect.” The desired effect here was the elimination of the Indian race and made it easy for them to conquer and settle in the region.

It is essential to make it clear to you that the settler society knew most of the epidemics, including smallpox. For instance, the Hudson’s Bay Company had massive experience of dealing with the disease. Therefore, the employees of the company knew exactly how to deal with the disease using various methods of prevention. They could also prevent the outbreak, however, because the interest of the company was to expand without resistance. The company did not share this knowledge with the greater population of Victoria as far as preventing and combating the epidemic is concerned. Even if it shared the information, it was not with good intentions and sometimes distorted. It capitalized on the struggles that the Victorian communities were experiencing dealing with the epidemic and expanded their territory hence increased settler society.

Some scholars have criticized the way the Canadian authorities were handling the epidemic at this time. The authorities were inactive, and the public was also ignorant of the disease. For instance, the Daily Press that was charged with the responsibility of providing information about the epidemic in Victoria argued that the town authorities took measures that made them appear to be driving the indigenous communities to death and not acting in good faith. The press was also accused of inciting the authorities against the indigenous welfare. For instance, it was also calling for the expulsion of the Northern Indians.

I can argue that in the Victoria-era British North America, the moralist and racist conception can be used to understand the plights of the indigenous communities. For instance, there was an unfounded association linking the Chinese people with smallpox. As a consequence, the Chinese were expelled from Calgary in 1892 during the race riots. This aspect was being propelled by the settlers – a settler mindset. It was believed that the Chinese were engaging in filthy activities like doing laundry. This activity, among others, was contrary to the gender norms in the Victorian era, and the best way to address this ’embarrassment’ was by expelling the Chinese.

Similarly, racial-moral terms were used to construct leprosy in settler society. For instance, leprosy was publicly associated with the Acadians in Atlantic Canada. Dr. A. C. Smith was the one charged with the responsibility of managing the disease by the authorities at that time. He gave an assurance to the authorities by making it clear that the hardworking and responsible Icelandic immigrants do not pose any threat to public health. It is also important to bring to your attention that the Chinese men were also associated with leprosy in Victoria in the 1890s. For instance, the Victorian authority exiled 49 men to D’Arcy Island from 1891 to 1924, and 43 of the exiled men were Chinese. The order to exile these men was given even after Dr. Helmcken recognizing that the Chinese were not necessarily vulnerable to leprosy. The settler tendency to construct epidemics using racial and moral lens was not just limited to Victoria. Still, it was a common phenomenon in towns dominated by settlers in the Victoria era. Their understanding of race shaped understanding of an epidemic and response to an outbreak in the settler society.

Another aspect worth noting is the value of the property. The settler society in Victoria was preoccupied with the value of their property. Therefore, they viewed immigrants and their susceptibility to infections as a threat to the increasing value of the property. It is essential to mention that in the second half of the 1800s, the cost of the property was increasing in Victoria. The security of property among the settler society was a worrying concern. Most scholars have stated that the interest in the agricultural land in Victoria is the one attracting a lot of speculations among the settlers. The indigenous communities were seen as a threat to the development of agriculture. For the purpose of this audience, it is also important to note that Indians were falsely accused of the death of animals in Saanich. A report discredited the falsehood and indicated that the animals died because of the harsh winter.

The settler society feared that being close to Indians would lead to the loss of the value of a property. For instance, in 1859, there was a conversation in the Colonial Legislature about the plans of developing land near Songhees reserve. The argument of the discussion was that proximity of Indians to the reserve would diminish the land value. To support this argument, the settlers in the northern Victoria had petitioned the legislature to relocate the northerners around them even before the outbreak of smallpox. Other legislators like Helmcken and Yates also requested the governor to remove northern Indians around the town because they are likely to lead infectious disease and loss of property value.

In conclusion, the decision of clearing the camps inhabited by the indigenous people would have far-reaching consequences. It resulted in epidemics claiming a lot of lives of the indigenous people. It also opened up the Pacific Coast for the Europeans to settle. It also led to rapid demographic changes that include the increase in the number of settlers in British Columbia surpassing that of the indigenous communities before the 1900s. However, there is obscure motivation regarding this decision in historical records. The settler society saw the northern Indians as being vulnerable to infectious diseases and particularly deserving of the vulnerability and the diseases. They argued that the northern Indians had tendencies towards poor hygiene, drunkenness, and violence that makes them more vulnerable. Even though the settler society could use moral and racist bases to understand and respond to almost every pandemic, it is not still clear to understand their reasoning.  But the fact of the matter remains to be that the indigenous communities suffered in the hands of the settler society whose actions were always selfish. For instance, they took their land, fought them with infections, and condemned them to a lifestyle of suffering and despair.