The correct answer is:
B. spread of disease.
1. When Europeans colonized new territories, they unintentionally introduced diseases that were new to the Indigenous populations.
2. These diseases, such as smallpox, measles, and influenza, spread rapidly among Indigenous communities who had no immunity to them.
3. The lack of immunity and the devastating impact of these diseases led to a significant loss of life among Indigenous peoples.
4. This factor, the spread of diseases, contributed significantly to the enormous loss of life experienced by Indigenous populations after European colonization.
