Native Americans Population History

was the decline since 1492 a result of genocide?

Was the decline of the Native American population in North America after 1492 a result of genocide? That's a difficult question to answer.

Before we begin, let's take a look at how might we define genocide? You should pay close attention to the criteria for defining "genocide."

It's a bit of an unusual approach to this issue, but starting with the graphic above, let's look at some maps.

Are any of those maps or graphics relevant to some the definition of genocide criteria?

Here are some other recommended sources and statistics to consider.

When we approach the question of whether the decline of the Native American population in North America after 1492 was the result of genocide, the first problem is the starting point, i.e. determining an accurate number for the Native American population in 1492 (pre-contact). There is really not that much divergence over succeeding statistics, especially for the nineteenth century, but there are huge variations in the 1492 population point. Why?

Well, it is just not that easy to determine population as there are no records on the population of the Americas in 1492, and making that estimate is difficult.

If the population of North American in 1492 was 5 million, and the population in 1900 was 1 million. That's an 80% decline.

If the population in 1492 was 15 million, and the population in 1900 was 1 million, that's a 93% decline.

If the population in 1492 was only 1 million, and the population in 1900 was 1 million, then that's a 0% decline. (OK, that's simplified)

These "interpretations" of the extent of the population decline then become the stake points of ideological positions.

It is very difficult to arrive at pre-1492 population estimates see Thornton's review of the efforts in both the western hemisphere and more specifically in North America. Here are my brief notes.

By 1800, the Native population of the present-day United States had declined to approximately 600,000, and only 250,000 Native Americans remained in the 1890s, citing Thornton
Total: 5,220,579 ~ 1.6% of the total U.S. population. Native Americans, also known as American Indians, First Americans, Indigenous Americans and other terms, are the indigenous peoples of the United States, sometimes including Hawaii and territories of the United States and sometimes limited to the mainland.
Thornton, chapter 3 is the overview of the decline,
see pages 42-43
chapter 4 of Thornton covers 1500 to 1800
page 60, Soon after the European arrival, the 5+ million American Indians in what would become the United States began to decline in number,
100 years of rapid and extensive population decline but now idea how to quantify; on page 90, by 1800 had been reduced to 600,000 from 5+ million in three centuries

Here are some more resources to help with this question