The Columbian Exchange: What is it, and what effects did it have on our society?
Discovering the New World is of the most critical events in the history of humanity. Not only did it allow people to expand to new regions and uncover great resources, but it also changed the world forever. Alfred W Crosby wrote a book named The Columbian Exchange which covers this event at length, showcasing both positive and negative things that come from Columbus and his discovery of the new world.
How can we define The Columbian Exchange?
The Columbian Exchange is a process through which the Old World and New World started trading cultures, people, plants, animals, and germs. People from the “New World” had to deal with exposure to unknown, dangerous germs, but at the same time, they got to learn new languages and access resources from Europe. On the other hand, Old World residents had the opportunity to access vegetables, resources, and materials unavailable until that point.
Did the Columbian Exchange endanger New World residents?
Yes, because those crops brought to Europe disrupted the natural balance of New World agriculture. Locals were only producing and setting aside only the crops they needed. Now that they had to export crops, that made it difficult to sustain themselves.
On top of that, many locals had to work on plantations, making them even more prone to diseases from Europeans coming in. According to Cosby, The Columbian Exchange also brought in severe issues regarding animals.
Some animals, like the bison, became extremely rare, mainly due to Europeans hunting them for their meat and fur. However, they also brought in pigs, horses, and cattle to sustain the population and spread to new regions without worrying about any lack of food.
Diseases brought from the Old World
Maybe the most disturbing things related to The Columbian Exchange were the numerous diseases that natives started dying from. By traveling to the New World, Columbus and many other Europeans brought in typhus, chickenpox, whooping cough, influenza, mumps, smallpox, and so on. In addition, the slave trade brought yellow fever, hepatitis, and malaria.
While Europeans had some means to deal with diseases, natives were not ready to deal with them in any way. Europeans started using this to their advantage since it allowed them to conquer native populations much easier.
Altering life on multiple continents
As we can see from Alfred Cosby’s book, The Columbian Exchange ended up bringing significant changes to Africa, Europe, and the New World. All those new animals and plants from the Americas started changing European diets and farming. The fact that domesticated animals arrived in the New World was significant because it made things easier for natives regarding transportation. It also changed their diets. However, famine and disease killed most of the native population; 20% of natives died from starvation alone.
Lots of silver came to Europe from the South American mines, which enhanced the European economy. In addition, more detailed maps started appearing, bringing great cultural and exploratory benefits. In addition, new materials and technologies adopted from natives improved art, literature, and astronomy.
Was The Columbian Exchange beneficial for humanity?
The Columbian Exchange brought great benefits, like the exchange of plants and animals and revolutionized transportation. It also helped the Old World access new resources, eventually leading to things like the Industrial Evolution down the line. However, The Columbian Exchange had its downsides since it led to slavery, the death of many civilizations, diseases coming from the Old World, and Europe’s focus on conquest and expansion.
As we can see from Alfred Cosby and other historians like Charles C. Mann, The Columbian Exchange brought an evolution for our society but also dragged it down with numerous challenges. While it was a significant step forward for humanity, it also destroyed numerous civilizations. Sure, we uncovered new materials, people, and technologies, but it came with a cost. We lost precious, important cultures that could have changed humanity’s future!