Negative Effects Of The Columbian Exchange

Think about life without bacon for breakfast. Bacon is an American dietary staple in the morning. Did you know, however, that the native people in the Americas never had access to bacon until the late 1400s? Pigs were just one of the many animals and goods exchanged as a result of Christopher Columbus’ journey to the Americas. The exchange of goods, ideas, and services between the Europeans, who were considered the “Old World,” and the Americas, who were considered the “New World,” is known as the Columbian Exchange. The Columbian Exchange is also known as the “Triangle Trade,” because West Africa was involved in the trade as well. Many goods were exchanged between both worlds, including the Old World giving many new animals, such as cattle

When Europeans crossed the Atlantic and colonized the New World they sparked a flow of changes in Native American culture” (Ross, 2010). Although the flow of goods and technology benefited both worlds in the trade, with the Columbian Exchange ensued negative impacts as well, with disease being the largest of them all. The diseases brought over by the Spanish to the Americas, including the deadly smallpox, wiped out populations and broke down power structures. The Columbian Exchange can be considered a turning point in history because this was the time when Europe was introduced to the Americas as a trading partner, and the trade began the colonization of the Americas by the Spanish. However, the Columbian Exchange was not a beneficial turning point for the Natives, the Europeans, or the Africans because of the diseases transferred to both the New and Old Worlds, the missions launched by Spanish conquistadors, and the Atlantic Slave Trade, one of the world’s darkest

The Renaissance’s literal name translates to “The Rebirth.” The Renaissance is defined as “the period in European civilization immediately following the Middle Ages and conventionally held to have been characterized by a surge of interest in Classical scholarship and values” (Renaissance. 1998). After Columbus’ journey, Spain immediately looked to colonize the Americas, in an attempt to expand their land and be one of the first countries to conquer land in the New World. Another important time period that occurred during the Columbian Exchange was the Age of European Exploration. The Exploration Age occurred from the 15th century to the 17th century, and resulted in the expansion of many countries in Europe to places never reached before. Emphasis was placed on travelling by ship, as famous explorers like Henry the Navigator and Vasco de Gama launched explorations to try and find new passages to the West Indies. Possibly the most important voyage began by a European explorer during the Age of Exploration was Christopher Columbus’ journey, sponsored by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. The goal of Columbus’ journey was, like other explorers during that time period, to find the shortest route possible to the world’s largest trading centers located in China, India, and islands off of Asia known as the West Indies. However, during Columbus’ journey, his ship