Loss of Land
"As we passed along, we observed that there were few places by the river but had been inhabited; by reason whereof much ground was clear."-Edward Johnson
There were large concentrations of tribes on the eastern coast or near rivers. "Hall informed us that the smallpox was gone as far as any Indian plantation was known to the west, and much people died of it." -Winthrop |
The death of a majority of the tribe meant the survivors had to relocate to smaller villages. This allowed the colonists to move onto the Native Americans land with little resistance. This loss of land began the trend of colonists and settlers taking over land that did not belong to them that continued for hundreds of years.