Columbian Exchange Essay

The Columbian Exchange has been called the “greatest human intervention in nature since the invention of agriculture” (Grennes 2007). The exchange of diseases, plants, and animals lead to a global cultural and economic shift throughout the Old and New Worlds following Christopher Columbus' 'discovery' of the Americas in 1492. The Eastern Hemisphere saw an influx of raw materials, new staple crops, and the income from and production of growing crops that were too resource intensive for Europe and Asia. The Western Hemisphere saw large scale population shifts, massive devastation accompanying colonization, and a significant change in the ecosystem with the introduction of new, sometimes invasive, plants and animals. This 'exchange' had one

As it states in document one, the Spaniards spread their knowledge to the Natives and taught them how to read, write, thresh and sell harvest, make bread, breed cattle and so many more. They taught them all these things so that the world can develop faster, and due to them keeping their word, cultural diffusion started and spread rapidly. Later on another system, known as Columbian Exchange, spread. It was a system which, according to document three, “brought benefit to all peoples.” This system started the exchange of plant and animal during the European expansion into the Americas. The introduction of the horse, cow, and various grains vastly increased the food productivity all around the globe. Although, this is only the second of the many genius’ the explorers had

From 1450-1750, there was a time of great exploration and advancement in technology that state consolidation and expansion. Inventions like the astrolabe, compass, and lanteen sail made these expeditions possible and more accessible than ever before. There were positive and negative effects of exploration and it greatly impacted the organization of regions throughout time. As networks of communication and exchange emerged, goods and the transmission of disease increased like smallpox, new discoveries of unkown territories were made such as the New World, and cultural interactions that spread religion like the Spanish converting Mexico to Christianity were becoming more and more evident.

The diseases the Europeans brought with them affected the indigenous negatively because it killed a large portion of the population in a painful way. The Natives had very little diseases before the Europeans invaded their land. Unlike people in the Old World, the Natives did not farm cattle or pigs and did not live near the animals they did have. They never had the opportunity to develop immunities to diseases that the cattle and Europeans carried when they came upon their shores. The diseases spread quickly and attacked the indigenous in gruesome ways. Smallpox caused sores to erupt on their skins that were so painful that an Aztec account states that “[the sick] could only lie on their beds like corpses” (Document 4). The pain would not

In the new world, Europeans encountered indigenous plant foods cultivated by Native Americas. These plants were potatoes, beans, corn, tobacco, and cocoa. The potato is especially important because it’s known for one of the main foods for Ireland. The European’s influenced oats and barley etc. Domesticated animals as pigs, chickens, sheep, and ox were also brought to the Americas. Horses were also brought to the new world which was a new tool for hunting and used for military.

Imagine you and your family are living in the Americas during the fifteenth century. You live an average life, until one day everything changes. Europeans come to the Americas bringing disease, slaves and weapons. They kill 85-90% of your native people; your family and friends. This is what the Columbian Exchange was like for the indigenous people of the Americas. The Columbian Exchange was detrimental because it spread diseases, it brought the slave trade to the Americas, and killed many native people.

From Africa, yellow fever and malaria spread to the Americas through the Columbian Exchange. It had a more detrimental effect towards the Americas because the continent has been in isolation from Africa for centuries. As a result, the natives in the Americas had a lack of immunity toward certain diseases that originated from Africa. In another case, smallpox, measles, and influenza have a deadlier effect to the American natives. By the first 100 to 150 years after 1492, approximately 80 to 95 percent of the American native population was decimated in result of their first encounter of Afro-Eurasian diseases.

It started with Columbus coming over to the Americas and then the exchange of products from the Americas with Europe and Africa. The Americas gave Europe new food sources and some animals, but Europe and Africa passed on diseases and germs, and also domesticated animals.

The controversial scholarly journal of Robert S Wolff explores the history of the first trade encounters between the Portuguese in Africa and Asia, controversy lying in its separation from the Western narrative. Throughout the article, the author is trying to figure out the motives or other considerations playing a role behind the actions of Portuguese and other Europeans, such as choosing violent ways of making a profit in the lands of Africa and Asia, rather than using the existing trade networks, to emerge as the world ruler. In his view, Europeans had claimed themselves to be the “center of the world” way before they have risen to that title. European countries were looking for profitable trade in wealthy lands full of gold, consequently lack of resources and other valuable goods became a barrier to their success in the already existing channels.This is seen in da Gamma’s first encounter with the local ruler of Calicut, where his gifts were considered substandard to that of the poorest merchant, as seen by the local advisor.

The rise of food production may make the Columbian Exchange seem like it was beneficial to America, but the combination of the depopulation and the rise of the production of food led to harsh exploitation of different people groups (Nunn, Qian). The introduction of new plants required more work from native workers in the plantations (Nunn, Qian). This led Europeans to employ the Encomienda system, in which the colonists, mostly the Spanish colonists, received a grant by the Spanish Crown to have the right to demand forced labor from the Native Americans (Crosby). Even though it was created with the intention of caring and helping the natives, it turned into a destructive system, in which the natives were to be regarded as part of the property

The shape and geography of the Americas was formed over hundreds of millions of years by processes including continental drifting and the Great Ice Age. Through the exposure of the Bering Land Bridge, early immigrants reached the Americas and created diverse populations and cultures. Agriculture, especially the cultivation of corn/maize, played an important role in these early civilizations. European desires for Asian goods sparked an interest in finding a faster route to Asia, which led Christopher Columbus to land in the New World. The Columbian Exchange transformed life in both the New and Old Worlds with the introduction of new animals, plants, and diseases. With Spain and Portugal leading, the European countries began

Along with the humans, animals made and were a key part to the Columbian exchange. Non domesticated and domesticated animals made an impact on the new world. When the Europeans brought horses, pigs, sheep, and cattle across the ocean it introduced a new means of transportation, a new labor form, and new food sources. For example, horses were very useful in battles and transportation. They carried people quickly from one place to another. In battles, horses allowed people to fight from a higher level or degree, thus giving them an advantage. As for pigs, another important animal, people ate them as a new food source. It says, “Pigs were also a key animals used during ocean travels because they could be dumped on the way to a country or place and then picked up and eaten on the way back. The horse, too, was also a very useful animals as it helped with battle; it allowed for faster travel, it allowed for the surprising of opponents, and

The discovery of the New world or America in the year 1492, and The Columbian Exchange it played a significant role on bring resources to various parts of the world. It brought the exchange of various resources like plants, animals, and diseases across the world. The year was 1492 is when Christopher set sail and put in motion The Columbian Exchange or also known as The Great Exchange. The Columbian Exchange affected the geographic location with the trading routes with Afro-Eurasia to the Americas. Also, The Exchange affected the economic with various countries with the trading. Finally, it affected the social change that made us the county we are to this day. With this exchange set forth the trading of various

Students should have an idea of pH and the difference between an acidic, basic and neutral substance in relation to its placement on the pH scale.

One consequence of the exchange was mass death. In the search for new routes for trade, people of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas came in contact with each other, causing the spread of disease. Columbus's colonization brought a host of new diseases to the populations of the Americas. Europeans exported their diseases such as influenza, tuberculosis and smallpox. In return, European traders and colonizers returned the Europe with syphilis and typhus from the Americas. The slave trade caused the spread of malaria and yellow fever from Africa to the Caribbean and North America, and yellow fever to Europe.