What Impact Did Pigs Have On The American Environment

The main imports from Europe that impacted the America’s were livestock, pigs, horses and many plants. Horses enabled Europeans to explore larger areas of land in a shorter time than it would have taken them on foot. Natives didn’t have this type of transportation, so they were limited in their ability to conquer vast amounts of land of quickly as the Spanish explorers. The introduction of cattle created a cheap and growing food supply of meat to new settlers from Europe. Cattle thrived in the new world, satisfying the large demand for leather goods for Europe. Cattle also changed the American landscape by eating the grass in areas that were cleared by new settlers for farming. This created large areas where the soil and vegetation would be changed forever. The introduction of pigs also changed the landscape and thrive because there was so much vegetation for them to eat. They were also a cheap meat for the new settlers and grew quickly in the new world. Fish was so abundant, thousands of cod
The plants that were introduced by European settlers created an abundance of food that could be shipped to Europe. Many natural resources in Europe had been depleted, so the new world’s land was fertile and able to grow large quantities of food and provide raw materials for Europe like wood and animal skins. Foods introduced to Europe from the America’s include tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco, peppers and sugar cane. Coffee was another import that grew well in South America. These products grew well in Europe and became popular with the ruling class, especially tobacco and sugar. Land was abundant, so large forest could be cleared to create plantations that would feed the demand of these new world crops. The potato became the main staple of peasants in Europe, creating a population growth and expansion. The potato was introduced in Ireland and feed a population for years until the potato