High School

Which of these had the greatest long-term impact on American Indians in the West?

A. the spread of disease
B. the discovery of prairie dogs
C. the drawing of maps
D. the discovery of mountain passes

Answer :

Answer:

Disease

Explanation:

Diseases impacted the natives a lot more than any other option as it killed most of them.

Final answer:

The spread of disease had the greatest long-term impact on American Indians in the West, causing widespread death and cultural disruption.

Explanation:

The spread of disease had the greatest long-term impact on American Indians in the West. European colonizers unintentionally introduced diseases like smallpox, measles, and chickenpox to which Native Americans had no immunity, leading to devastating epidemics that wiped out up to 90% of the indigenous population.

These diseases caused widespread death, loss of traditional knowledge, and cultural disruption among Native American communities, significantly altering their way of life and shaping the course of history in the West.

The vulnerability of Native Americans to these diseases stemmed from their lack of prior exposure and genetic immunity to Eurasian pathogens carried by European settlers.