Why did the US use small pox poisoned blankets as a biological weapon against Indians?

"You will do well to try to innoculate the Indians by means of blanketts, as well as to try every other method that can serve to extirpate this execrable race..."





--Approval by Lord Gen. Jeffrey Amherst, British Commander-in-Chief of America, for Col. H. Bouquet's suppression of Pontiac's Rebellion with smallpox laced-blankets, July 1763. The attack partially backfired when Bouquet infected his own troops.

Why did the US use small pox poisoned blankets as a biological weapon against Indians?
There was no United States in 1763. LOL!!! What you meant to say is, why did the British use small pox... LOL!!! That was a very good, non informed question, and it made me almost fall out of my chair. Thank You!!!!
Reply:2 points
Reply:God told them to?
Reply:Yeah, it was the British...
Reply:Sure looks like this is a rhetorical question to me.





Don't worry. We all know that some bad things have happened in the past. Kinda like the soothsayers that always seem to get us in trouble, and then we have to suffer to correct their idiocy.
Reply:We never did.





This idea never got beyond the proposal in the letter.





(Trivia note: This letter killed the guys military career.)
Reply:A more important question might be why did it work in that direction (smallpox wiping out indigenous people in N. America) rather than indigenous people of N. America coming over to EurAsia and wiping the people out there?





Jared Diamond explores that in Guns, Germs and Steel. PBS ran a series on his book. Linked below.





If you are looking for modern day morality (in a time when we shoot pregnant women, use white phosphorus and napalm...) in a time 246 years ago, I think we are a bit naive. However, I like a good questioning attitude about such use of weapons of mass destruction. Good for you.
Reply:same reason we are shooting women and children in iraq.
Reply:We lied to the Native Americans repeatedly. We broke our promises and treaties to them, repeatedly. We offered blankets, which seemed to be a peace offering, but it was just a trick. Besides, the N.Americans were not immune to old world diseases, which Europeans were already immune to. Guess this could be called the first use of biological weapons!
Reply:When we look at historical events and especially those that were unusually cruel the reason why is due to fear. But, instead of asking why, we need to learn a lesson and never repeat the mistake again.


Only then does historical events make us grow in knowledge.


Granny
Reply:Before the US could realize its dream of Manifest Destiny and Western Expansion they had to kill off the people already here. Small pox blankets were far more effective then bullets and organized violence in decimating the numbers of Native Americans.