The Jesuit Relations document discusses reports written by Jesuit missionaries about their attempts to convert Native Americans to Catholicism between the 16th and 18th centuries. The Jesuits sent highly educated missionaries to missions in Asia, Latin America, and North America to teach Catholic doctrine. While initially ignorant of disease, a 1637 influenza epidemic opened their eyes to how easily pathogens could spread and influence native populations. The Jesuits generally pursued conversion through peaceful means, but access to European weapons by some tribes led to increased aggression and the overrunning of Jesuit missions by the Iroquois in 1649.

1. The Jesuit Relations Patrick Aspell History 140 12/7/2010

2. Jesuits were a very thorough people, non biased very descriptive There reports (relations) were about the attempted conversion of people to Catholic Christianity All of the missionaries were very educated, each was able to teach and train the converts.

3. Missions ranged from Asia to Latin America, main goal was to convert the barbarians The Jesuits were very ignorant to disease, believe that natural items like sugar would cure every type of disease.

4. Epidemics were something that the Jesuits were very ignorant to Influenza epidemic in 1637 opened the Jesuit eyes to disease. Merchants and traders carried the diseases all over the Americas. Influenza eventually caused a lot of the natives to convert

5. Jesuits were very peace like, more about controlling through peaceful methods. Tribes did get aggressive after the introduction to European firearms. In 1649 a lot of the Jesuits were overrun by the Iroquois. Great Peace of Montreal was the beginning of peace between the Indians in 1701