The Columbian Exchange pertains to a cultural period where biological exchanges took place between that of New & Old Worlds. There were exchanges of animals, diseases, technology and plants. These played a vital role in the transformation of the life of Europeans and Native Americans. All of these will always be stated in Columbian exchange facts.
The year 1492 marked the end of the discovery of Columbus. This even lasted for the entire year of not just discovery, but also expansion. The Columbian Exchange was responsible in patching up differences both socially and culturally. This has been apparent even on the sides of Atlantic. Aside from this, technological advancements were also realized in the production of agriculture. The same also went for the increasing of mortality rates, evolution warfare, and education. These were the aftermath of Columbian Exchange on Europeans and Native Americans.
The Real Effects and More
Various areas of the society were affected by the aforementioned exchange. What were these?
- Technology – advancement in technology has been greatly influenced by the exchange. This occurred in the 15th to that of early 16th Ever since, Europe had been way powerful as compared to that of the Native Americans. However, the latter benefited from the progress. Among these were the written alphabet, farming capabilities, weapon and firearm capabilities and architectural ingenuity.
- Disease – despite the fact that lots of commendations were raised because of the exchange, there were also downsides that were not being talked about all the time. This was also the time when the transmission of disease occurred. This had diverse effects on the Old and New World. The illnesses were transferred from all over the place. The transmission was connected to the migration of men during that time. This was the main carrier of the epidemic.
- Animals – the whole passage from the Old to the New World right in the exchange was also experienced by the animals too. These involved domesticated and non-domesticated ones. These all brought impact to the New World. One of the impacts was the grasslands being transformed and the labor revolutionized. The transformation of grassland took place because of the sheep’s overgrazing. The availability of horse also took place during that time. All of these were relevant in the new power force built for the land.
- Plants – abundance of plants was unfolded during the exchange. The discovery of new organisms also happened. Among the new plants introduced were squash, beans, sun flowers, chili peppers, peanuts, chenopods, sweet potatoes, pineapple, manioc, avocado and even cacao. The most important though would have to be the maize and potato. The plants when brought to America also turned out to be a success. This was another.
In a nutshell, some may ask – why is there a need to study Columbian Exchange? Well, it is going to explain why the Indian nations suddenly collapsed. The same is also true with the slavery in Africa. It really is connected to universal realities faced at the moment.
