Before the Pilgrims' arrival to New England, a vicious plague swept across New England and wiped out over 50% of the Native American people from Maine to Massachusetts. Watch a video that examines this devastation and the role it played in American history.

Concepts

pilgrims, native american history, native americans, plagues, the wampanoag, new england

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Take a closer look at who the Wampanoag peoples were here
• Have learners research other plagues that have wiped out nations, villages, communities, etc. throughout history

Classroom Considerations

• Preview the video to make sure it is appropriate for viewers as there are images of bones of Native Americans
• Part of a series of videos from the American Experience: The Pilgrims collection

Pros

• Student handout is editable 
• Sheds light on a part of history that is often forgotten or even unknown to most

Cons

• None

Common Core

RI.6.1 RI.7.1 RI.8.1 RI.9-10.1 RI.11-12.1 RH.6-8.7 RH.9-10.7 RH.11-12.7