Negative Effects Of The Columbian Exchange

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The Colombian Exchange was a trade of animals, plants, diseases and technologies between the American, African and European Continents in the 15th and 16th centuries. This trade began when Columbus voyaged over to the New World in 1492. If Columbus had not discovered the Americas then the world would be very different today. The consequence, good or bad, of Columbus’ voyage was this exchange of goods between the Old and New Worlds, the Old World being Europe and Africa, and the New World being the Americas. The exchange of a wide variety of crops and livestock helped to increase the population in both hemispheres of the world.

Some of the many positive exchanges from the Old to the New World were animals, plants, and technologies. …show more content…

Without this exchange of plants Italy wouldn’t have tomatoes, there would be no coffee in Columbia, Hawaii wouldn’t have any pineapples, and there would be no rubber trees in Africa. The Old World exchanged apples, bananas, barley, basil, carrots, garlic, mango, tea, and most importantly sugarcane with the New World. Sugarcane was so important to the New World because it was a good form of sucrose, and was used in coffee, chocolate and tea; this made it very addictive to the Naive Americans. Due to this addictive quality, sugarcane became one of the largest cash crops in history. In exchange for these crops the New World traded chili peppers, cocoa, cotton, squash, potato, tobacco, vanilla, and most importantly potatoes, and maize. Potatoes had a big impact on Europe because they could easily be grown in the weak soil. Potatoes became an essential food for the lower class in the Old World. Maize or corn was one of the most important crops traded during the Columbian Exchange. It could be stored dry for a long time and it was a great substitute to wheat because it grew quicker and in areas where wheat couldn’t be

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