The chart shows the changes to the estimated European and Indigenous populations from 1610 to 1700.Estimated European Populationsca. 1610ca. 1700English in Virginia10072,000French in New France10013,000Spanish in New Mexico5003,000Estimated Indigenous Populationsca. 1610ca. 1700Powhatans15,0001,000Hurons20,000100’sPueblos60,00014,000

The chart shows Indigenous populations falling sharply between 1610 and 1700: for example, the Powhatans declined from 15,000 to 1,000, and the Hurons from 20,000 to about 100. A major cause of these declines was widespread disease brought by European settlers, to which Indigenous people had little immunity. Therefore, choice B, widespread diseases brought by European settlers, best explains the pattern.

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