What Is The Significance Of The Columbian Exchange
The Columbian Exchange alludes to the transfer of diseases, foods, crops among the New World and the Old World following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492. . The period before the Columbian Exchange, there would be no oranges in Florida, no paprika in Hungary, and no cigarettes in France, without the Columbian Exchange all these supplies would not be in the countries they are now. The Europeans gained from the exchange in several ways. The discoveries of new metals are popular one. They also received many different types of goods and crops form the exchange. Unfortunately the Old and New World both received the disease each side obtained, devastating both of their populations. Culture was transferred among each of them opening their eyes to a whole new side of the world. When Columbus’ arrived to the New World (Caribbean) the culture, crops, animals, and diseases of each world began to mix.
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Europeans gained new staple crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, maize, and cassava.
Tomatoes, chili peppers, cacao, peanuts, and pineapples were the less calorie intensive foods that became the centerpiece in the Old World countries. Tobacco, was a New World crop, was became the substitute for currency. The exchanged allowed sugar and coffee, which were from the Old World, since the land was suited for those crops. Historian Alfred Crosby (1989, p. 666) describes the significance of the transfer of food crops between the between the continents, writing: “The coming together of the continents was a prerequisite for the population explosion of the past two centuries, and certainly played an important role in the Industrial Revolution. The transfer across the ocean of the staple food crops of the Old and New Worlds made possible the
former.”
Not only did the exchange bring good things but it also brought the bad. The Europeans brought along with them smallpox, typhus, cholera, and influenza. Unfortunately, for the Native Americans they were not immune to these infections and diseases. The Old World’s disease such as smallpox was highly fatal to Native Americans. Adult and children were hit with the epidemic which caused high mortality rates. On certain Caribbean islands the Native Americans died out completely. In 1650, The Columbian Exchange took part in the African Slave Trade; the slaves they brought were carrying malaria. From 1492 to 1650 about 90 percent of the first Americans died. Dobyns (1983, p. 34) writes that “before the invasion of peoples of the New World by pathogens that evolved among inhabitants of the Old World, Native Americans lived in a relatively disease-free environment.. . . Before Europeans initiated the Columbian Exchange of germs and viruses, the peoples of the Americas suffered no smallpox, no measles, no chickenpox, no measles, no chickenpox, no influenza, no typhus,, no typhoid or parathyroid fever, no diphtheria, no cholera, no bubonic plague, no scarlet fever, no whooping cough, and no malaria.”
The Europeans condemned the Indians as Devils because they practiced sodomy, incest, and polygamy. Since the Europeans were Christians, they preferred heterosexual monogamy. The Europeans either conceived of naturalness of cultural diversity and invent cultural toleration or assume Native Americans were going to Hell. A couple of the Europeans were tempted to the concept of multiple creations, but most monogeneticism. The rapid integration of American foodstuffs into European recipes was only the most obvious of the cultural adaptations brought on by the Columbian Exchange. For the Native Americans they integrated horses into their culture since it was new to them. They appreciated the horses since it helped with transfer of weapons and food. They also used it in warfare and hunting, When the Europeans arrived they intentionally put Old World crops on New World soil, causing contamination of American soil. They stripped and burned down the forest. When the Native Americans tried to resist it was ineffective. Indigenous people had to suffer from white brutality, alcoholism, losing game or food, and lose of farm grounds. In the 1580s, near the abortive Virginia colony of Roanoke, the Amerindians “began to die quickly.” Even though all these amazing things happened during exchange, some people believed the Europeans were the enemies.
Europeans gained new staple crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, maize, and cassava.
Tomatoes, chili peppers, cacao, peanuts, and pineapples were the less calorie intensive foods that became the centerpiece in the Old World countries. Tobacco, was a New World crop, was became the substitute for currency. The exchanged allowed sugar and coffee, which were from the Old World, since the land was suited for those crops. Historian Alfred Crosby (1989, p. 666) describes the significance of the transfer of food crops between the between the continents, writing: “The coming together of the continents was a prerequisite for the population explosion of the past two centuries, and certainly played an important role in the Industrial Revolution. The transfer across the ocean of the staple food crops of the Old and New Worlds made possible the
former.”
Not only did the exchange bring good things but it also brought the bad. The Europeans brought along with them smallpox, typhus, cholera, and influenza. Unfortunately, for the Native Americans they were not immune to these infections and diseases. The Old World’s disease such as smallpox was highly fatal to Native Americans. Adult and children were hit with the epidemic which caused high mortality rates. On certain Caribbean islands the Native Americans died out completely. In 1650, The Columbian Exchange took part in the African Slave Trade; the slaves they brought were carrying malaria. From 1492 to 1650 about 90 percent of the first Americans died. Dobyns (1983, p. 34) writes that “before the invasion of peoples of the New World by pathogens that evolved among inhabitants of the Old World, Native Americans lived in a relatively disease-free environment.. . . Before Europeans initiated the Columbian Exchange of germs and viruses, the peoples of the Americas suffered no smallpox, no measles, no chickenpox, no measles, no chickenpox, no influenza, no typhus,, no typhoid or parathyroid fever, no diphtheria, no cholera, no bubonic plague, no scarlet fever, no whooping cough, and no malaria.”
The Europeans condemned the Indians as Devils because they practiced sodomy, incest, and polygamy. Since the Europeans were Christians, they preferred heterosexual monogamy. The Europeans either conceived of naturalness of cultural diversity and invent cultural toleration or assume Native Americans were going to Hell. A couple of the Europeans were tempted to the concept of multiple creations, but most monogeneticism. The rapid integration of American foodstuffs into European recipes was only the most obvious of the cultural adaptations brought on by the Columbian Exchange. For the Native Americans they integrated horses into their culture since it was new to them. They appreciated the horses since it helped with transfer of weapons and food. They also used it in warfare and hunting, When the Europeans arrived they intentionally put Old World crops on New World soil, causing contamination of American soil. They stripped and burned down the forest. When the Native Americans tried to resist it was ineffective. Indigenous people had to suffer from white brutality, alcoholism, losing game or food, and lose of farm grounds. In the 1580s, near the abortive Virginia colony of Roanoke, the Amerindians “began to die quickly.” Even though all these amazing things happened during exchange, some people believed the Europeans were the enemies.