We hear of stories of how Christopher Columbus accidently discovered America or the New World. Most of our history books indicate the settlers were the ones that helped shaped this new world. We tend to forget how new explorers also impacted America. Christopher Columbus and the rest of Europe coming to America changed the globe by igniting import and export and bridged the Atlantic Ocean between the two worlds.
The “Columbus Exchange” is the exchange of technology, diseases, animals, and plants between Europe and the Americas.
Technology was in the sense of equipment and tools brought over on boats by the explorers. It dependent on the origin of the explorer on what equipment was brought. The plow to help uproot the ground to plant the numerous plants and vegetables brought over. The Native Americans were not civilized as the Europeans and they lacked a lot of tools to mass produce buildings, houses, boats, and farm the lands.
Diseases brought from the settlers such as smallpox killed many Native Americans. Native Americans did not have the antibodies to combat the diseases brought over by the European explorers. Other diseases were measles,
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This was the greatest export of America to Europe and profitable. Europe’s climates made it very difficult to grow the sugarcane and tobacco. America gave the Europeans maize. Maize was important to the Native Americans because it was sustainable for long periods of time when it was dried. Maize also is adaptable that it can grow just about anywhere and it was produced in Europe. Potatoes can grow in cold and in thin soil. This was perfect for European climate. It went widespread as a food of choice and for peasants. Ireland’s climate allowed it to grow abundantly that the failure of the crop lead to the Irish migration to the America’s. It has been well documented that Ireland faced famine because the potato crops failure to grow. (Nunn &