Which of the following BEST describes how the Spanish and Hernando DeSoto impacted the Native Americans living in the southeastern region of North America? A. Native Americans benefited from learning about new technologies from the Europeans. B. They formed a strong alliance and became trading partners. C. The Native Americans were introduced to new foods. D. Thousands of Native Americans died as a result of diseases spread by contact with Europeans.

Answer 1

The BEST description of how the Spanish and Hernando DeSoto impacted the Native Americans living in the southeastern region of North America is D. Thousands of Native Americans died as a result of diseases spread by contact with Europeans.

While there were other impacts such as the introduction of new foods, the most significant and devastating consequence was the spread of diseases like smallpox and measles, which decimated Native populations who had no previous exposure or immunity to these illnesses.