Essay on The Columbian Exchange

When the Europeans explored the Americas, they were introduced to new plants, foods, and animals, as well as riches and land. Foods such as corn, white and sweet potatoes, beans, tomatoes, cacao, fruits, peppers, peanuts, sugar cane, and tobacco were many of the new foods enjoyed by Europeans. Some animals such as wild turkeys, llamas, and alpacas, were brought back to Europe. Native American Indians traded furs with the Europeans, which were luxury items throughout Europe. The discovery of lands rich in gold, silver, and other treasures prompted the conquistadors to launch expeditions to the Americas, while reports of newly discovered lands abundant in resources, lured many other Europeans to the Americas in search of a new and better life.

The Columbian Exchange is all about the trade that happen between the Old World and the New World. The Columbian Exchange brought new systems, and philosophies. In those times the Old World was referring to the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa. The New World was referring to what is today the American Continent. It all started when Christopher Columbus gathers money for his voyage to find new land towards the west in 1492 the discovery of America. When Columbus discovers the New World all types of barter and exchange started to happen between Europe, Africa, and North America. Christopher Columbus brought horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats from the Old World to the New World. The natural environment of this four continents had differences

The Columbian Exchange was an overall positive event for the New World. As people discovered new lands, they also discovered new plants and animals which they took back to their own countries. At the same time, explorers introduced plants and animals from the places they had sailed from. This was the Columbian Exchange. The Columbian Exchange were the exchanges of goods, ideas, disease, etc. between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres..

The Columbian Exchange is the term used to describe the substantial widespread exchange of plants, animals, foods, human populations (including slaves), communicable diseases, and ideas between the Eastern and Western hemispheres that occurred after Columbus’s arrival in 1492. The Columbian Exchange is one of the most significant events to ever occur in the history of world ecology, culture, and agriculture. Although it sparked an unpredictable, uncontrollable interconnected web of events that had immediate and everlasting consequences, Columbus’s voyage to the New World marked a critical turning point in history (National Humanities Center, 2015). Advancements in education, agricultural production, evolution of warfare, and increased mortality rates are just a few examples of how the Columbian Exchange impacted both Europeans and Native Americans

The Columbian Exchange began in 1492 with the landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World because he was searching for an all-water trade route to the precious spices in Asia. As with any new discovery of land, positive and negative effects occurred. Negatives included the spread of disease and slavery, whereas positives consisted of better education, the upward mobility of social classes, and the spread of Western Civilization in the New World.

Disease was efficient during this time, millions of Native Americans died of Afro-Eurasian diseases such as the smallpox or measles. In North and South America combined, more than half of the population of Native Americans died from disease; it’s even possible 80 percent of the population was killed off because of these pestilences. Pandemics continued to wipe out populations for over 150 years. However, good things, such as the spreading of crops, revealed itself during this time. American corn and sweet potatoes were shared among China, parts of Africa, and the Mediterranean; these crops increased population. China benefited greatly from this, in the 17th century their population experienced long-term growth. Animals such as horses and cattle were introduced to the New World by Europe and Asia; breeding became popular among these animals. Environmentally, the introduction of sheep in America destroyed plants and caused the soil to erode. Deforestation increased in regions either due to the expansion wanted for imports or the rise of the America’s population. 25 percent of the globe’s forests had been demolished by the 17th century. Moreover, the Columbian exchange brought many disastrous qualities but it integrated culture and intertwined the regions of the world together to create the New

The old world and the new effect by the Columbian exchange. In the early 1600s livestock were brought to

Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage begun what would be known as The Columbian Exchange during the 15th and 16th centuries. The term was later devised in 1972 by American historian Alfred W. Crosby in his ecological history book. Alfred sparked an interest in the dynamics of the people who migrated from Europe known to them as the Old World and the New World we know as America which lead other historians and writers to examine the topic prolifically, bring it to the eye of the public. The Columbian Exchange was known throughout the world as a trade establishment between the Afro-Eurasian and Americans hemispheres. This trade center was a link between two different geographical places resulting in the first form of globalization that would later set the precedent for the world that we live in today. The Columbian Exchange was a crossroads between the New World and Old World and oversaw an extensive interchange of plants, animals, and disease. The arrival of Europeans to America bough about many unanticipated and inadvertent consequences for the people and environments of the New World and Old World.

When the Europeans came to North America, they carried numerous diseases with them. Keep in mind that the Europeans traveled by ship for months and some ships had an infestation of rats and mosquitoes. Vaccinations did not exist during the Exploration years so, explorers and the Natives had diseases of small pox, pneumonia, and yellow fever. The Native Americans were dying by the numbers because of the European diseases that they came into contact with the Europeans. Several Native American tribes had healers which the Europeans thought were Doctors. The Native Americans used nuts, berries, and certain plants to heal either a snakebite, scratch, wounds from animal attacks, and skin diseases. The Europeans thought that some of the Indian practices were witchcraft because of the heavy European Christian beliefs. The Native Americans actually helped to cure several European diseases. When the first Colonists of Virginia arrived, the population was declining because of the disease and starvation. As time went on, the immigrants from Europe began to increase due to the Civil War, crowded population, or famine.

The Colombian Exchange had enormous impact on life for civilizations in the both the New World and the Old World. Not only did the discoveries of a New World by explorers and conquistadors change the Old World, but the agriculture and abundace of minerals had a significant impact on all socials classes. One great example that most people know, is chocalate. It eventually became famous and popular among the rich and is an everday staple and treat in current times around the world. But other foods originating from the New World had a much a greater impact that has transformed the Old World more than I ever knew. Indian corn, or better known as, maize, flourished to every inhabited continent. Along with maize, and a plethora of other crops and

The age of Post-Colombian exploration and settlement was revolutionary in the lives of the American, European, and African peoples. Occurring throughout the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, the Columbian Exchange provided an avenue through which everything from slavery, widespread disease, and new Euro-Native cultures and relationships would come to fruition.

After Columbus discovery of the New World much of Europe and the Eastern Hemisphere gained access to indigenous New World food such as potatoes, manioc, squash, maize and beans. Meanwhile, the New World gained access to horses, pigs, cattle, oxen, sheeps and goats (Berkin, Miller, Cherny and Gormly, 2013 18). Food such as tomatoes, chili peppers, and peanuts from Hungary, India,

Columbian Exchange: A transfer of plants, germs and animals across the Atlantic. This forever changed the ecosystem and culture of the world.Europeans were introduced to many new crops such as corn, tobacco and potato. Also inventions such as the canoe and new farming techniques. Europeans also introduced the Native Americans to disease and crops such as wheat.

Situated delicately with crevices and dark amber mountains floating on the top. The gritty exterior and smooth mountains make it hard to resist the temptation. The fragrant smell floating in the air provoke the senses. The petite gaps and grainy surface invoke a soft cry. The consumption provides a sensation of happiness. Furthermore, the blend of creamy butter, sweet sugar, and enriching flour causes the senses to crave

When Europeans first touched the shores of the Americas, Old World crops such as wheat, barley, rice, and turnips had not traveled west across the Atlantic, and New World crops such as maize, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and manioc had not traveled east to Europe.