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Distinctive Demographics Of The Columbian Exchange

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The Columbian Exchange primarily stemmed from the European’s economic thirst. However, they had no clue a simple journey to discover faster trade routes would lead to such a dramatic world change. On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus and 90 brave crewmen set sail to discover faster more efficient trade routes to Asia. However, this journey turned into them discovering a New World with almost endless opportunities to grow not only economically, but also intellectually. They discovered new demographics, agriculture, and pathogens. Columbus and his crew may not have known it at the time, but they would change history as we know it today. The distinctive demographics of this New World shocked Columbus and his men. The extreme culture and …show more content…

Sugar originated from the Old World, but it was immediately clear to the Europeans that sugar was much better suited for cultivation in the New World. However, sugar cane had much more value then originally thought. When looking at the basic economic structure of supply and demand, it is clear that the immensely improved cultivation and efficiency of sugar production drove production up and price down, leading to more demand at a lower value. The improved efficiency of sugar production opened up a new market and a completely different demographic. However, this improved efficiency didn’t occur until about 1519 during King Charles V rule. For example in the book The Columbian Exchange Crosby says “The growth of the sugar industry was painfully slow until Charles V intervened, ordering that sugar masters and mill technicians be recruited from the Canaries, and authorizing loans to build sugar mills on Espanola.” (Pg. 68/ The Columbian Exchange) King Charles V saw the economic promise in sugar and invested money and time into the expansion of the …show more content…

The Labor Theory of Value explains that even fertile land is useless without labor or in other terms, human capitol. The Europeans knew that the immense death of the Natives posed labor problems, so they looked to Africa because hey had already had contact with the inhabitants in recent years and knew they had some pestilence to their diseases. What most African-Americans today don’t realize is the fact that Africans weren’t just captured and brought to America, local tribes sold their fellow countrymen in exchange for cash crops. By no means am I justifying the horrible treatment towards the slaves, but the Europeans saw them as human capitol they paid for, not people. The slaves made economic efficiency go through the roof. However, because the slaves were only African and Native decent, it created immense racial prejudice. For example Crosby states in The Columbian Exchange “In the Americas the Europeans’ demand for their own kinds of food was strengthened by social and racial prejudice.” (Pg. 106/ The Columbian Exchange) The Europeans original thirst for economic power turned into an obsession for demographic dominance. Even to this day we struggle with racial segregation and

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