What Are The Causes Of The Columbian Exchange

The Columbian Exchange, beginning in 1492 with Christopher Columbus’s first voyage, was a global trading standoff between the Old World and the New World. Plants, animals, and diseases were being traded fervently between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. The global and social changes made during this exchange would leave a lasting impression on the Americas in the years that followed.

The interactions experienced by the Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans changed the economy and the society in many ways. The period more commonly known as the Columbian Exchange, which was set in motion by Christopher Columbus, a Spanish explorer who settled the Americas in 1492. The Americas, Africa, and Europe, began to trade back and forth between themselves, creating triangular trade. With this new method plants, animals, diseases, technology, ideas, populations, and culture were introduced and dispersed throughout one another.

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

The Columbian Exchange is the exchange of plants, animals, food, and diseases between Europe and the Americas. In 1492, when Christopher Columbus came to America, he saw plants and animals he had never seen before so he took them back with him to Europe. Columbus began the trade routes which had never been established between Europe and the Americas so his voyages initiated the interchange of plants between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, which doubled the food crop resources available to people on both sides of the Atlantic.

Columbian Exchange- The Columbian Exchange was a way exchanging new resources between the new world and the old world. This impacted Europeans and Native Americans positively with the new materials now available, like technology, plants, and animals. There were some negative effects from these exchanges too, such as diseases. Made it easier to interact with other cultures.

The Columbian Exchange was the beginning of the expansion of trade between the New World and Europe. The Columbian Exchange started the flow of goods between continents that had not shared the same borders since Pangaea. McNeill stated “Columbus’ voyage, along with the many voyages that followed, disrupted much of the biological segregation brought about by continental drift. (McNeil, 1).” Journalist Charles Mann states in his research for his book, 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created, on the Columbian Exchange that “No other person, changed the face of the Earth as radically as Columbus did. Columbus ' crossing of the Atlantic, Mann says, marked the start of a new age, not only for the Americas but also

The Columbian Exchange refers to the time period in which the Native Americans of North America traded plants, animals, livestock, diseases, and new modernized technology with the Europeans. Not only were these things spread between the two nations, but the word was spread that North America was a new place for world to come and make their own. The early days of colonizing America was not successful for most of the countries wanting a part of it. These countries included England, Spain, and Portugal. The reasons behind them not finding prosperity in this land was because it was unchartered and no one knew what the land contained. The people struggled with adapting different and untried farming methods. Most of the exploring that was done brought many issues between the Native Americans and the new coming country. Provided that the Natives didn’t want new settlers on their land, and the settlers didn’t want any issues with claiming this new land as their own.

In “The Columbian Exchange: A History of Disease, Food, and Ideas,” the authors point out that there were two channels in the transfer of food crops. One are unknown tropical spcies from the New World, which has affected on the growth of local cuisines. They are rich in calories and improving taste and vitamin intake. Otherwise, the Old World also brought certain crops. America gave a plenty of land that helped response the high food demand, and became the main supplies for Old World markets. In this way, they unknowingly carried many Old World diseases, such as smallpox, meales, and other diseases. They were unfamiliar to the Native America and they never had developed immunity to such disease. By the early 1600’s, the population of Indians decreased nearly 90%. Furthermore, Columbus’ sailors encountered sexually with native women Indians so that they brought the deadly bacteria unwittingly back to Europe. This reason led slavery system traded from Africa for labor requirement for cotton and tobacco plantation

This is a picture of the trade routes of the Columbian exchange. The Columbian exchange was a period of cultural and biological exchanges between the new and old worlds. Exchanges included things like plants, animals, diseases and technology. Technology transformed Europeans and native American ways of life. The exchange lasted after Columbus’ discovery through the years of expansion and discovery.

In 1492 the explorer Columbus set out on his first voyage for Spain in search of a direct water route across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe to Asia. Instead though, he found the Americas. Once in the New World Columbus ran into a native people and decided to name them Indians. This accidental finding of the Americas ignited the first contact ever between the Western and Eastern hemisphere. The result of this was The Columbian Exchange in which there was a large trade of animals, plants, technology, culture, slaves, diseases, and even new religions. This exchange effected the way Europeans, Americans, Asians, and Africans lived their daily lives. The Columbian exchange was by far one of the most paramount events in the history of world technology, agriculture, culture, and ecology. In this research paper the following will be answered:

Throughout time every society has had to address enduring themes with different results. One of these enduring themes is cultural diffusion and trade. This is particularly apparent during the 1500s When Europeans arrived in the new world. It is also apparent when slaves were brought to the New World during the Atlantic Slave Trade. Although cultural diffusion was negative in that it caused the death of many Native Americans overall cultural diffusion was positive in that it increased communication between the New World and the Old World and it brought new crops and raw materials to the Old World.

The Columbian exchange was passed through the old, new worlds, and Africa (Columbian Exchange). The geography of these three places and their downfalls and rises all work together to import and export goods and species (Columbian Exchange). They exported goods, slaves, and animals (Columbian Exchange). Europeans all together were the best at trading for goods and exporting goods to making themselves have such an early advantage (Columbian Exchange). The Columbian exchange refers to the exchange of diseases, ideas, food crops, and populations between the new world and old world following the voyage to the Americas by Christopher Columbus in 1492, by the old world meaning the eastern hemisphere (Columbian Exchange). The discoveries of new supplies and metals is the best known, the old world also gained staple crops, sugar and coffee (Columbian Exchange). The exchange of disease occurred such as smallpox, measles, and typhus. Some cuisines of countries were altered by the Columbian exchange; it introduced a wide range of new calorically rich staple crops to the old world –namely potatoes, sweet potatoes, maize, and cassavas. The Europeans adapted tobacco. Sugar cane was extremely important for the European masses (Columbian Exchange). The potato provided a large supply of calories and nutrients, it had a positive growth on the population by 12%, and it effected urbanization by 47% as well (Columbian Exchange). Slaves were also imported into the Americas because of the spread of old world diseases to native Americans, the cultivation of highly priced old world crops such as sugar and coffee(Columbian Exchange). Over all, the Columbian exchange helped form Europe and guided it to conquer the Americas (Columbian Exchange). Furthermore, in the tables written by Jared Diamond and

Many years ago, the north and south of the world were separated by pangea, creating different ecosystems which caused different evolution in each place. As the population grew, on each side, many resources were consumed which caused the people to explore further beyond their land. When the north finally met the south, multitudinous things such as; wheat, barley, rice, turnips, potatoes, horse, goats, and cattle, were traded amongst them to better their situation. This trading route led to the Columbian Exchange, a period of time that led to great crops, culture, and deterioration at the same time. The exchanges helped our populations grow and decline through trade.

In fourteen hundred ninety two Christopher Columbus sailed west across the Atlantic in search of an alternate trade route to Asia and its riches. Instead Columbus discovered the Americas which were occupied by the Native Americans. After Columbus's discovery many Europeans especially the Spanish journeyed to America. Spanish conquistadors led by Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizzaro conquered the empires of the Aztecs in Mexico and the Incas in South America. The voyages of Columbus prompted the Spanish to establish colonies in the Americas. Eventually a global trade spurred, called the Columbian exchange. It was the international transfer of foods, plants, and animals during the colonization of the Americas. The Columbian exchange gave Europe the resources it needed to gain wealth and power through the profitable exchange of food, African slaves and metals which led to their rapid rise.

Food has acted as a huge influence on our world and has shaped both our politics and our economy into what they have become today. The book “An Edible History of Humanity”, described the influence of food on ancient civilizations and how it continued to mold politics and economics as time went on. Parts two and three specifically described the origins of food’s influence on politics and economics, and then continued on describing how humanity began using food to expand and grow. Civilizations in both parts took advantage of trade to gain power, and also used trade to further boost their economies, however they went to different lengths to achieve these things so the outcomes were varied.