Review of Barbara Mann, The Tainted Gift: The Disease Method of Frontier Expansion

Pathogenic diseases, whether accidentally or intentionally introduced, have long been associated with colonial arrivals in Indigenous territories. Barbara Mann identifies disease agents as tools of imperial expansion during an era when Indian removals were part of America’s official public policy. Through painstaking analysis and source criticism, she illuminates key moments between 1760 and 1850 when virulent disease was deliberately spread among Native American populations.