The Impact of The Columbian Exchange on Europe and America

The Columbian Exchange traded goods, livestock, diseases, technology and culture between the Old World (Europe) and the New World (America). After Christopher Columbus’ discovery, trade continued for years of growth and developmentIn 1492 , Christopher Columbus sailed from Europe to the Americas.. He attempted to come to Asia. He believed that he arrived in Asia and called the native population ‘Indians,’ when he arrived in the Americas. Today we remember him for returning to Europe and for sharing the news about his voyage. His travels to the Americas, along with other European explorers, started to discover and conquer a large part of the Columbian Exchange. For the first time, the Americas have been continuously connected through trade and migration to Asia , Africa and Europe.

There are many factors important for discussing the trade between the New World and the Old World which include food and other crops. People throughout the world continuously grow, process, export and carry food. Everyone has to eat to survive, but people in various parts of the world have the chance to eat much differently. The crops imported into the Old World include the following: potatoes, sweet potatoes, maize and cassava. These crops have increased the intake of calories and nutrients and are now the main food of many countries in the Old World. Most New World crops are still cultivated in the Old World, such as soybeans, bananas and oranges.The Old World has increased its use of land in the New World through the Colombian Exchange, by increasing its sugar, coffee, and soybean production. This process is often considered a previous stage of today’s globalization.

The Columbian Exchange had positive and negative impacts on Europe and the Americans. The impact on Europe was positive, since it acted as a reliable food source, but also negative because their croplands were ruined. Plants brought back to Europe improved the nutrition of the Old World. Colonization led to diseases spreading. European diseases have particular impacts on the Native American population. Millions of Nnative Americans have suffered from diseases such as measles, syphilis, mumps, chicken pox, and smallpox. TThese diseases have been passed onto humans and animals for lack of natural immunity.The demand for African American slaves grew as a result of the deaths of so many Native Americans. Africans were sold to work in tobacco, sugar and cotton fields in slavery on the other side of the country. This explains why Europe became the richest and most powerful nations in the world.

Despite the Columbian Exchange, the English colonies of North America started to develop.The 13 colonies of the 17th and 18th century were British small towns on the Atlantic coast of the United States of America. Eventually they contributed to the formation of the United State. But how did it all begin? The English did not establish an enduring settlement in the Americas at the beginning of the 17th century. But they overheated their opponents during the next century. The English promoted much more emigration than the Spanish, French or Netherlands. Across England, the population had significantly increased. The colonists welcomed residents who lived private and extreme poverty lifestyles. In the Chesapeake Bay colonies of Virginia and Maryland, thousands of British migrants were transferred to work in the tobacco fields. Another origin, this one of the Puritan families, tried to live as they believed the New England colonies of Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, New Haven, Connecticut and Rhode Island were requested and funded by religious scriptures.

To meet the basic needs of the people and the colony, Colonial America depended on the natural environment. The natural resources available presented what the unique specialty of each area was or should be. Due to human and environmental movements, specific economies immediately developed. Colonial America also had regional cultural differences and historical reasons as a colony. The Southern Colonies were founded as economic projects to provide the “mother country” with substantial resources. However, the early colonists of New England were mainly religious reformers and protesters. They pursued a new way of life by spiritual living, to glorify God. In the Middle Colonies, people from different lifestyles were admitted.

There are three separate social-political structures: towns, cities and small farms. The human resources strongly indicate another difference. New England had professional industry craftsmen. A diverse population of farmers, fishermen and investors were introduced to the Mid-Atlantic. The Southern Colonies were mainly agricultural workers, with few towns and few schools. With the highly skilled economies developed in these areas, not everyone could provide everything required or not as successful as a system of who is dependent. They rely on each other to produce certain items or responsibilities

In conclusion, while building a huge legacy, it is necessary to pay attention to the Columbian Exchange. When Europeans interacted with the Americas, plants, livestock, cultures and populations suddenly came together in new ways. If it weren’t for the British, it wouldn’t make America today.

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