Native Americans During The Columbian Exchange

The Columbian Exchange was a pivotal and devastating period in history. Although, during this exchange Europe, Asia, and America traded goods, they also traded diseases. Most of the exploration done during the 15th century began with somewhat understandable motives. As the explorations progressed their motives turned bloodthirsty. Europe, Asia, and America all had major changes due to the exchange. The Natives Indians from the New World were the ones who lost the most because of the Columbian Exchange. While the Europeans gained the most. Due to this exchange the outcomes of our world today are many and we see them daily. However, as heroic or life changing Christopher Columbus was, his legacy was not fully known and is not as heroic

The Indians of the New World had the short end of the stick, and had to suffer through so much and they had the most loss in the Columbus Exchange. Not only did most of the population get killed off by the diseases brought by the Europeans but they also were enslaved and murdered by the Europeans. As news spread out that Columbus was enslaving the Natives, they had to run away and hide in their own land in fear of Columbus (Zinn). Most of the people who got caught and enslaved didn’t even make it pass the ship trip. The Spanish empire made things worse, they had them enslaved in their own land. They would mine for gold and many of the Indians, men, women, and even children died (Zinn). They were treated with no respect, no tolerance and were not even treated like humans. Moreover, it’s devastating that the population was decreasing but it’s even worse that their culture was being swiped away and they were being pressured into changing religion because the Old World people thought it was their duty to release them from being nonbelievers (Zinn). Since the New World’s culture was mostly orally passed down, as the population was killed so was their legacy. They lost more than the New World, the only thing they gained was new livestock, and

Not only did they get new crops to survive in the Old World but they got new slaves and gold. Both which they had no right to take and conquer. Some of the most important crops that helped Europe overcome their food storage. The potatoes, for example were one of the most important crops in the exchange that helped them .Columbus had only one goal in mind that helped him achieve such success, which was to purely seize and conquer the New World . They also gained new slaves, which mostly died on the trip to the Old World. Columbus was not the only one that participated in the exchange or the slave trade. Spain played a role in this. The Spanish empire started to colonize in the New World . The also forced the Indians into mining for gold and silver, and many Indians died because of the cruel treatment. Their population was nearly swiped away. Some of the other gains of the Old World were increase in business and expanding their territory. The gain of new territory made it possible to spread their culture. Something the Indians barely got to do. Another gain was the expansion of the European population in the next few years even centuries later. Although, as outstanding as the gains they had, it still doesn’t make the conquer any less