Essay On Columbian Exchange

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World of Africa and Europe and the New World of the Americas is referred to as the Columbian Exchange. Following Christopher Columbus' expeditions in 1492, the exchange got underway, and it later picked up speed with Europe's colonization of the Americas.King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I of Spain engaged Italian explorer and sailor Christopher Columbus to locate a path to the Spice Islands in India and Asia that was not governed or controlled by the Portuguese. Columbus crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1492 while sailing west and made landfall in what is now known as the Caribbean.When Columbus arrived, the local Taíno peoples were already trading with him.

The dog and the alpaca were two of the few domesticated animals in pre-Columbian America. The Spanish gave permission for imported domesticated herds to graze freely on the lands where they flourished. Furthermore, the new species had no natural predators in the Americas. However, because they ate a lot of the indigenous flora, these recently introduced creatures disturbed the natural equilibrium. Cattle ranching began in the Caribbean and soon extended to Mexico and Florida by 1565. The metal plow was brought by the Spanish along with the cattle. The Europeans were able to increase the scale of their agricultural operations thanks to this device, attached to livestock. More agricultural land produced more food, which in turn expanded population and extended life expectancy. Additionally, cattle provide a consistent source of protein in the form of meat and dairy goods.Europeans were able to travel farther into the interior of the continents thanks to the horse. In battles with native populations, the horse also gave greater speed and height advantages and startled the natives with their presence. The horse soon expanded over the Americas as a result of its inability to control reproduction. Over time, the indigenous peoples would use and modify horses for both travel and

Columbus and other European explorers had little prior knowledge of the civilizations and people that lived there they would meet when they reached the New World. They were unaware that Mesoamerica had previously hosted civilizations dating back thousands of years. There was so much that they had not known like the large, intricate cities, written languages, and the scientific knowledge within the cities. Many of those great achievements were from the Aztecs, Inca, and Mayas. The soldiers that had seen the amazing achievements reported back to Europe, writing about how amazed they were. However, it would all soon be destroyed and be in pieces. Even though the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayas had advanced technology the Europeans brought different technology and livestock. These improvements cost a lot of money, though. Spanish invaders known as conquistadors destroyed religious structures and slaughtered non-Christians while enslaving indigenous. Cultural items were permanently gone and cities were destroyed. The Europeans were outnumbered, but they had the advantage of highly developed weapons. Indigenous peoples' access to firearms also led to a rise in tribal warfare deaths, particularly in North