Everlasting Effects Of The Columbian Exchange
Christopher Columbus knew the earth was round, but he didn't know how big it really was. He tried to get funding for his voyage to find new water routes to Asia however, no kingdom would fund his voyage unless Spain did. The Spanish Queen gave him three ships to see if he can get goods cheaper in India, instead of using the Arabic trade routes. While on this voyage he finds land where there are naked native people who are practically living on a gold mine and trading it to the Aztec people. Columbus comes back to Spain and tells the queen about his findings. The queen sends him with seventeen ships and over one thousand men to go take over, enslave, and steal the money from this place that he thinks is India but is really the Bahamas. He died thinking he found this new trade route to Asia, but he really found a new continent. Columbus's voyage led to European contact with the native people. This contact is known as The Columbian Exchange. The Columbian exchange was the enormous widespread exchange of plants, animals, foods, human populations, slaves, diseases, and ideas between the Eastern and Western hemispheres after 1492. Many new and different goods and ideas were exchanged between the two hemispheres of the Earth, and it led to major changes in the new and old world. There were many long and short-term effects on the Eastern and Western Hemisphere because of the voyage of Christopher Columbus and the Columbian exchange.
In the Western Hemisphere, there were many Long lasting effects the exchange had on the American lifestyle. Columbus was able to create a peaceful relationship with the natives of the land. He took advantage of this relationship when he enslaved them. Slaves became a major part of European colonization. When contact was made many diseases were spread throughout. This was a blessing in disguise for The Native Americans. They were dying, but around ten percent survived the epidemic. The Native Americans, prior to these diseases being spread, were used as slaves for the Europeans, but since they were dying out Africans were brought in to be the slaves. For the Europeans, this made the conquest for the Western Hemisphere much easier because of the reduced population. New tools and crops like the plow, iron-edged tools, wheat, and rice created much better agriculture in the Western Hemisphere. Rice and wheat were healthier diet options and they were now able to feed larger populations. The Native Americans were still using bows and arrows before the arrival of the Spanish who were using gunpowder. This led to much-improved warfare and the development of modern weaponry. Animals like pigs, horses, cattle, and sheep also had a big effect on the people. The Native people viewed soldiers on horses as if they were gods. This helped the Natives against invaders. The horses also changed transportation for them. They domesticated the other animals for improved diet and economic uses. Slaves and sugar canes were used later on as a valuable part of the triangular trade. In the long term there were debates whether it was moral to own a slave, the Abolition Movement, played a major role in the American Civil War, and the Civil Rights movement in the U. S. The Native people received so many ideas and lifestyles from the Europeans that change the way the colines lived for years to come. Columbus’ discoveries opened up opportunities for growth in wealth and power for Spain. The Columbian exchanges success on the western hemisphere encouraged all of Europe to try and acquire uncharted territories and riches. Explorers were being sent out on voyages by kings to try and do what Columbus did in the western hemisphere. The Columbian Exchange was the beginning of what would later become a thriving triangle of trade between the Western and Eastern hemispheres. The Western Hemisphere would not have been flooded by Eastern culture if these discoveries had not been made.
The Columbian Exchange had a short and long-term effect on the Eastern Hemisphere as well. Tobacco, Indigo, and cotton were introduced to the Europeans. Smoking and tobacco became very popular in European nations. Later on, the negative health effects of smoking were discovered. They used Cotton joined wool to make textiles, and the Indigo was used in the dying of these new textiles built from the cotton. Manufacture of textiles became the first to become industrialized. Cotton became a big cash crop in American colonies. Plants brought to the east like pumpkins, tomatoes, cocoa, beans, squash, sunflower, and peanuts. These products were at first thought to be poisonous, especially tomatoes, but these products ended up being staples of many European diets. Seeds were used for oils and other uses. It also created the chocolate industry, which of course did not help improve diets. Potatoes were a huge discovery for the Europeans. It helped improve diets and was so much easier to grow and helped feed the whole population. Corn was also a major part of diets. Corn and potatoes were healthy options that were inexpensive and easy to grow. Gold and silver created great wealth in countries in the Eastern hemisphere especially Spain. The Wealth of Spain on the east caused other European countries to try and find their own sources of gold and silver, which was the cause for many more explorations for colonization in the west. Long-term the wealth from the gold and silver was the cause of the commercial revolution, which led to capitalism. When the gold ran out it caused the inflation in Europe and Spain during their decline. Quinine was First used to treat malaria, which was seen in Europe. The long-term use of quinine was to colonize Africa. They had a drug to combat the problem of malaria, which was so prevalent on the continent. The things that happened during this exchange had long-lasting effects on Europe.
The Columbian exchange had so many long-lasting effects on both the new and old worlds. The sharing of ideas, technologies, plants, and even diseases all led to each place growing. The Americas were becoming more advanced in many ways while the Europeans were getting much richer. The events that followed the voyage of Christopher Columbus had such long-lasting effects that are still felt to this day.
