Premium Essay

Influences Of The Columbian Exchange

Submitted By
Words 979
Pages 4
Influence of the Columbian Exchange
History of Colonial Latin America
Prof. Young
Maria Gabriela Garcia

The Columbian Exchange has been one of the most significant and influential events in the history of the world, concerning mainly of the widespread exchange of plants, animals, human population, diseases, ideas and technology. This term refers to the exchanges occurred between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres after 1492, Columbus’ voyages. Overall, the Columbian Exchange made a huge impact on both the Old World and the New World, including changes in production of crops, spread of diseases, and migration.
The plants that comprised the Columbian Exchange, changed both the economy and the culture in the Old and New World. …show more content…
This was possible due to the fact that many of the crops grown in the Old World needed different climates and soil to grow than the crops from the Americas. Alfred Crosby, a widely-known journalist, said: “The great advantage of the American food plants is that they make different demands of soils, weather and cultivation than Old World crops, and are different in the growing seasons in which they make this demands. In many cases the American crops do not compete with Old World crops, but complement them. The American plants enable the farmer to produce food from soils that prior to 1492, were rated as useless because of their sandiness, altitude, aridity and other factors” (Crosby 2003). The greater variety of staple crops, enabled people in the Old World to change their diets.
For example, the potato, “the New World crop that arguably had the largest impact on the Old World” (The Columbian Exchange), became a huge part of their diet because of its ample amounts of calories and nutrients. As a matter of fact, nowadays most of the consumers of potato are Old World countries. Moreover, many of these countries have adopted it as a core staple …show more content…
Many of the diseases which are now widely known, only existed in the Eastern Hemisphere, and others in the Western. The contact between the Natives and Europeans made it really easy for these diseases to spread around the world. Alfred Crosby, explains that migration itself is the cause for epidemics by saying: “the migration of man and his maladies is the chief cause of epidemics. And when migration takes place, those creatures who have been genetic material have been at least tempered by the variety of world diseases (Crosby

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Columbian Exchange Research Paper

...Drastically Impacted World History has been impacted by so many civilizations and trade it is quite unbelievable. Yet, what is a great example of World History being impacted? A good example of World History being impacted or altered is the Columbian Exchange. The Columbian Exchange is not just about the mere exchange of trades and goods. It includes the idea that the Europeans changed the very culture of many people in different areas. For one, the Europeans brought a smallpox epidemic to the America’s, which almost wiped out the people living there. This is not the only way Europeans impacted other civilizations. Many people living in China received many new crops. One crop in particular is the potato. The potato will eventually become important...

Words: 1242 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Columbian Exchange Argumentative Essay

...The Columbian Exchange is defined as “the transatlantic flow of goods and people that began with Columbus’s voyages in 1492” (Foner A-58). I, however, believe that definition is an oversimplification of such an important time period that would forever influence the course of the world and begin the age of globalization. The Columbian Exchange would have massive cultural, economic, and biological impacts so profound that they reach every corner of the globe today. The Columbian Exchange altered “millions of years of evolution” due to the introduction of foreign species of plants and animals. Colonists, explorers, and treasure seekers alike unknowingly threw the biological world into a state of chaos. There was a beneficial exchange of crops...

Words: 636 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Columbian Exchange Negative Consequenses

...The Columbian Exchange was a major historical event because it had both a positive and negative impact on the world. Major positive consequenses that resulted from the Columbian Exchange was that Columbus was being very generous towards the native Americans by giving them iron swords and goods for the native Americans. A major negative consequenses that resulted from the Columbian Exchange was that when Columbus got the native Americans to trust him he enslaved them and he had them enslaved until most of them died then he enslaved Africans. In the exchange there were many items taken from the Americas (New World) to Europe (Old World) that people of those countries were treated unfairly too and there were a lot of diseases in america at that...

Words: 268 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

New World New Food Summary

...The articles “New World, New Foods,” by Tom Standage, “America, Found and Lost,” by Charles C. Mann, and “Food Assimilation and the Malleability of the Human Body in Early Virginia” all examine how the pre and post Columbian exchange have affected and continue to influence nations today. The effects of the Columbian exchange were so widespread that, it “… redefined the demographics of the Americas, Africa, and Europe…” as Standage argues throughout his article “New World, New Foods” (Standage 112). He begins his argument by chronicling the journey of two specific crops as they spread between the Old and New worlds. Sugar is one example; it became a staple across the world and played an integral part of two major trade triangles. The first included commodities from America including sugar, which was then traded for cloth, and was then traded for slaves that would produce sugar. The second included molasses which was used to produce rum and was then sold for slaves who produced the rum and sugar. Therefore, the cultivation of sugar forever changed the demographics of the Americas and Africa economically....

Words: 648 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Psychology

... The Columbian Neo-Indian Exchange What have been is what will be, and what has been done, is what will be done and there is nothing that will reverse it. The incipient world as we know it has been undergoing a drastic era for biological globalization since the landing of the Europeans between the fifteen and the eighteen century. This era is known as the Columbian exchange and commenced in the year 1492 when Christopher Columbus and his crew sailed the Atlantic, exploring more advantages. Beckles & Shepherd suggest in his book Liberties lost, “that the European’s instinct was to reach Asia by sailing deep into the Western Atlantic. His quest was to find Asia, craving for the riches of Asia. Lost in the Caribbean Sea, he found indigenous people of Bahamas whose posture of welcome ushered into a global era.” (2004, p.35) Columbus’ first voyage was one of revelation in which he took the prospect to explore much places as he can. As history tells us, he made a series of voyages scooping new discoveries and engagements with the people who he encountered with on his journey. He first landed in the Bahamas. Columbus took with him soldiers, conquistador, murders, farmers and people of all classes who were moved by greed, and thirst for a better future. In this essay we will take an explicit look into the Columbian exchange, how it affect the Indian society, its impact on the old and new world. “The Columbian exchange” can be described as the exchange of plants, increase...

Words: 2427 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Ap World History

...techniques that began a domineering European presence in Asia. These two changes led directly to the Age of Exploration and the Columbian Exchange which dominated the majority of the time period. Meanwhile, the presence of cultural diffusion and cultural borrowing remained a continuity throughout both Asia and Europe. These changes and continuities throughout the period would serve to augment the course of history for many years to come. One of the main distinguishing changes for...

Words: 833 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Ancient Mayan

...The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period (c. 2000 BC to 250 AD), according to the Mesoamerican chronology, many Maya cities reached their highest state development during the Classic period (c. 250 AD to 900 AD), and continued throughout the Post-Classic period until the arrival of the Spanish. At its peak, it was one of the most densely populated and culturally dynamic societies in the world.[1] The Maya civilization shares many features with other Mesoamerican civilizations due to the high degree of interaction and cultural diffusion that characterized the region. Advances such as writing, epigraphy, and the calendar did not originate with the Maya; however, their civilization fully developed them. Maya influence can be detected from Honduras, Guatemala, Northern El Salvador and to as far as central Mexico, more than 1000 km (625 miles) from the Maya area. Many outside influences are found in Maya art and architecture, which are thought to result from trade and cultural exchange rather than direct external conquest. The Maya peoples never disappeared, neither at the time of the Classic period decline nor with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores and the subsequent Spanish colonization of the Americas. Today, the Maya and their descendants form sizable...

Words: 302 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

La Malinche's Role In The History Of Latin America

...La Malinche, otherwise known as Dona Maria, Malinalli, Malintzan. In the 1500s series of new trading techniques were established. Triangle Trade between the West Indies, Africa, and Europe was introduced. The Columbian Exchange, which was the exchange of plants, animals, diseases and technology with Europe and Native America, was also introduced. Several explorers, were very famous at the time, as they played an important role in the history of Latin America. The social classes at the time was ranked as peninsulares, creoles, mestizos, mulattoes, and native americans, and black slaves. La Malinche established a life for herself in a strict hierarchy through the background information on her life, her being a rule follower, and the global trends of the 1500’s affecting her....

Words: 768 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Essay Comparing Columbus And Mann

...When the Europeans began to colonize the Americas, they brought along food, animals, ideas, and diseases to trade. This system is called The Columbian Exchange. The trading of food was very important for both sides, because it helped diversify cuisines. “Indians developed an extraordinary number of maize varieties for different growing conditions… Central and Southern Europeans became particularly dependant on it, dramatically reducing hunger, which led to an Old World population boom” (Mann 10). The foods introduced by the natives greatly benefited the Europeans, because they increased agriculture and population growth back in Europe. The spread of diseases had a negative impact of the Native Americans, and more than 90 percent of the population died from these diseases. These diseases make it easier for the Europeans to conquer and exploit the natives, making them more powerful and feared. Columbian exchange, disease and deaths, colonizations all led to economic gain for...

Words: 902 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Personality

...section “The European Advantage” in your textbook.) 3. What was the single most important factor that aided the European conquest of the Americas? a. Gunpowder b. Disease c. Horses d. Superior organization FEEDBACK: The peoples of the Americas had no immunity to European disease and up to 90 percent of the population died after contact with the Europeans, greatly easing the process of conquest. (See section “The Great Dying” in your textbook.) 4. Which of the following is an old-world crop that was soon established in Europe’s American colonies? a. Tobacco b. Potatoes c. Corn d. Rice FEEDBACK: Rice is a Eurasian product that soon became an agricultural staple in many locations in the Americas. (See section “The Columbian Exchange” in your textbook.) 5. Which of the following was a consequence of the introduction of horses to the North American West? a. A male-dominated hunting and warrior culture displaced farming cultures in many areas. b. New hunting capability led to the near extinction of the North American bison. c. Horses made it possible for Native Americans...

Words: 2109 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

The National Liberation Army Of Colombia (ELN)

...The main goal of the ELN was to establish a more Marxist approach to government within Colombia (National Liberation Army (Colombia), 2012). Throughout the years the ELN has established it’s self as a formidable guerilla force throughout the country. Using methods such as extortion, kidnapping and murder they held a strong hand against the Colombian Army and Police for more than 50 years. Although they have operated throughout the country, the majority of all operations have been in the North Eastern area of the country, near the Venezuelan boarder where they use the porous area to move in between the two countries in an attempt to elude the Columbian Government (ELN). The exact numbers of the ELN have fluctuated over the years, both from internal struggles with leadership, and from the constant pressure of being hunted by the Columbian Government. From its creation in the 1960’s and into the early...

Words: 674 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

American History First Exam Indentification

...years. It stood as the largest settled community in what is now the United States until surpassed超过 in population by New York and Philadelphia around 1800. “cousinocracy” : In the early colony period, America had no title aristocracy贵族 as in Britain. But throughout British America, men of prominence突出卓越 controlled colonial government. In Virginia, the upper class was so tightly knit and intermarried so often that the colony was said to be governed by a “cousinocracy.” Loyalists拥护者:Loyalists—those who retained their allegiance效忠 to the crown—experienced the conflict and its aftermath后果 as a loss of liberty. Many leading Loyalists had supported American resistance in the 1760s Columbian Exchange: The transatlantic大西洋彼岸(美国) flow of goods and people is sometimes called the Columbian Exchange. The transatlantic flow of goods and people that began with Columbus’s voyages in 1492. Stono Rebellion A slave uprising in 1739 in South Carolina that led to a severe tightening of the slave code and the temporary imposition of a prohibitive tax on imported slaves. Lemuel Haynes 名 : Lemuel Haynes, a black member of the Massachusetts militia民兵 and later a celebrated minister, urged Americans to “extend” their conception of freedom. Black Legend: Idea that the Spanish New World Empire was more oppressive沉重压迫 toward the Indians than other European empires; was used as a justification for English imperial expansion. American Enlightenment 启蒙运动 教化: During the eighteenth century...

Words: 924 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

The Coke King

...Pablo Escobar was the cruelest and most brutal drug kingpin Columbia had ever seen. He was also the most intelligent. By being so intelligent he was able to become the seventh wealthiest man in the world and was able to build an empire that supplied cocaine to 80% of the world’s population. Through intimidation, fear, control, manipulation and brutality one of the world’s largest drug cartels rose in power over the citizens and government of Columbia and these characteristics is what also drove the Medellin cartel to its collapse in 1993. Pablo Escobar was born on December 1, 1949 to a peasant farmer and a school teacher. After many years as a small time criminal, Escobar saw an opportunity to become what he had always wanted; wealthy and powerful. Escobar realized the money he could make with coca paste. He would “buy the coca paste in Bolivia or Peru, smuggle the paste back into Columbia, grind the paste into cocaine and then transport it for sale in the U.S and many other countries.”(1) In 1976, Pablo Escobar murdered his way to the top of the Medellin cartel by killing off the cartel’s original kingpin, Fabio Restrepo. With this new position opened, Escobar now had sole control over Columbia’s cocaine trade. With his election into Columbia’s Congress in 1982, Escobar had a political advantage over his rival, The Cali Cartel. With his new found political power, Escobar could now reach his murderous hand into every corner of Columbia and every country beyond Columbia, including...

Words: 1248 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Architectural

...materials like bricks, stone, rubble, and sand 2) Its most characteristic feature is the truncated pyramid. 3) Earliest settlement were roofed dugouts, pallisaded huts, wigwams, or garrisoned forts surrounding thatched half-timbered cottages. 2. COLONIAL PHASE (1607- 1780) -begins with the colonization of the North American continent. Settlers from various European countries brought with them the building techniques and prevailing forms of their respective homelands. Colonial architecture was subsequently adapted to the topography and climate of the chosen site, the availability of building materials, the dearth of trained builders and artisans, and the general poverty of the settlers. 1.Spanish Influence 2. English Influence(Georgian/ classical/ Palladian phase) Georgian architecture- the prevailing style of the 18thcent. In Great Britain and the north American                                           colonies, so named after George I, II George and George III. Derived from                           classical, renaissance, and baroque forms. 3. POST COLONIAL PHASE (1790-1820) -architecture moved away from the English Georgian idiom and Neo-classical Elements were introduced Classic Revival Style Architectural Characteristics. * A more monumental type of state capitol was developed. Ex. a. Capitol, Washington D.C. - by William Thornton, assistedby Stephen Hallet and...

Words: 1176 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

History Vocabulary 9th Grade

...Hhistorical analysis 16. Cause-and-effect relationship 17. Value-laden 18. Moral convictions 19. Critique 20. Hypotheses 21. Historical inquiry 22. Eyewitness account 23. Statistical compilations 24. Journals 25. Census 26. Artifacts 27. Economic indicators Goal 2 28. Sustainability – supported,upheld ,of confirmed 29. Fertile Crescent – an area in the middle and near east: formerly fertile, now partly desert 30. Migration - a number or body of persons or animals migrating together. 31. Environment – the aggregate of surrounding things,conditions,or influences;surroundings; milieu 32. Human interdependence – all humans rely on each other. 33. Natural barriers – a natural limit or boundary of any kind. 34. Drought – a period of dry weather that whithers or kills the crops 35. Famine – extreme hunger or scarce amount of food. 36. Trade interactions -the influence of buying or selling trade with other countries. 37. Resources – a source of supply,support,or aid when specificity needed 38. River valley -a natural stream of water flowing in a valley between two mountains or hills. 39. Dikes – embankment for controlling or holding back the waters of the sea or a river. 40. Communication chain – the act or process of communicating through a chain. 41. Trading network – a net like combination for trading. 42. Nomadic – pertaining to, or characteristic of nomads. 43. Exports – to ship commodities to other countries for trading or...

Words: 2180 - Pages: 9