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What Are The Benefits Of The Columbian Exchange

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In the fifth century BCE, something changed, a new innovation arose across many Afro-Eurasian civilizations— standardized currency. Prior to the innovation of currency, people would gift, trade, or barter with one another in order to exchange various goods, such as animals, food, and clothing. Bartering for goods worked well and it enabled citizens to use what they had in order to get what they wanted instead, however, this system was slow and complicated at times. Aside from bartering for goods, some civilizations opted to use precious metals as trading pieces, however the legitimacy and purity of the metals was always in question and testing their legitimacy slowed transaction times and therefore slowed the amount of trading down significantly. These civilizations began the transition to a system of organized currency in which the citizens …show more content…

For example, before coinage, if someone wished to get a horse for their two cows, they would have to find someone who not only had a horse but someone would have a use for the two cows more so than the horse. Herein lies the downfalls of trading, problems which were solved through the implementation of currency. Thanks to currency, people formed their trading into a more civil and organized system. Instead of herding around animals or toting around many goods to trade, citizens were able to simply exchange currency. Trading largely took place in Agoras, which was a “large open area where individuals bought and sold commodities” (Pollard, 175). Though it isn’t a new idea, money plays a significant role in the world today as well. Much like civilizations during the Axial Age, currency is still used today in order to purchase goods such as food, artwork, clothing, and various services. More than ever, modern day people’s lives are dictated by money; it controls what someone can and cannot do, as well as their level of “comfort” per

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Socially and economically, the global silver trade from the mid-16th century to the 18th century had a negative effect on the rest of the world. The trade’s earlier benefits did not last long, as it eventually weakened the Spanish kingdoms and Ming dynasty. The dependence on trade and the uneven disbursement of the product lead to the fragility of the economics of those governments that depended on silver. The economic effects can be seen in document 2, 3, 4, and the social effects of the silver trade can be seen in documents 5, 6, 7, and 8. According to the documents, the middle man profited the most from the dependence on silver, while the countries importing and exporting silver suffered massive damages.

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598 Words | 3 Pages

To maintain the economy in China, Mongol rulers built many roads to maintain trade and initiated the circulation of paper money. By building roads and circulating paper money in the Chinese economy, merchants were able to travel long distances and trade with other societies. However, the circulation of paper money was a lack of success; the Mongols didn’t maintain enough bullion to back up paper money which led to decreased revenue. Persia served as a crossroads of trade for the Mongols, they worked to secure trade routes and ensure the safety of merchants passing through their territories. Working to secure trade routes for merchants benefitted the Mongols enormously since they received a steady amount of revenue; however Persia soon also encountered the problem of receiving paper money with little value which also decreased revenue.

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Socially the individual trade was dependent on not just payment in anyform, but by the end of the period; solely on the trade and payment of bills in silver. The silver trade changed the economic and social structures in Spain, the Ming empire and in Britain with the english. The period from the 16th to 18th century strongly showed this change of dependence of

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This was caused by so many different cultures and people mixing. While some places may have certain resources and consider them of less value because of their easy access to them, they also want things from the people from other places that were brought there by the Crusades. This increased trade and strengthened their economies. But eventually time came where it was more in demand to use currency rather than bardering, thus came the problem of different areas using different forms of currency. From this problem came the solution of banking, so that someone could trade their currency for the currency of a different place so that they could purchase things in this new area.

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229 Words | 1 Pages

The Columbian exchange is exactly what it sounds; it's what the new world and old world gained with the explorations of the America’s. The Columbian exchange sounds like a positive aspects but it carries both negative and positive connotation as the ‘Columbian exchange’ brought diseases, foods, and new ideas following the voyage of the ever-famous Christopher Columbus. The creation of the new world – about 90 percent of the native have disappeared, but “it was exchanges of animal and plants that made the new world possible”. The introduction of the new specifics of foods like, potatoes became essential to the old world, as it can grow In the soil of the old world that has been over used (Nunn). Corn was also brought from the new world to

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Positive effects of the Columbian Exchange was that it gave Europe and America new resources which in turn expanded their knowledge. The got new foods, animals, and materials they wouldn't otherwise have. The bad thing about the Columbian Exchange was that it spread disease between Europe and

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Many years ago a continental drift caused a split between North and South Africa from Eurasia and Africa. The Columbian Exchange was named by Alfred W. Crosby in 1972. It refers to a period of time in which cultural and biological exchange between the New and Old Worlds occurred. By far the most devastating impact of the Columbian Exchange followed the introduction of new diseases into the Americas. Many inhabitants brought diseases such as smallpox and measles.

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1258 Words | 6 Pages

The Native Americans have always seemed to run into conflict with the American Government. The situation usually plays in favor of the Americans, usually enforced by law leaving the Native Americans with no choice. This is what happened in the excerpt from Life of Black Hawk an autobiography by Black Hawk. From this section of the story, Black Hawk tells about his signing of the Treaty of 1804 and the consequences that later come. These actions are not what was expected, and were the beginning to a terrible relationship between the two.

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Also, a copper coin with a square hole in the middle began to be used as a standard unit of currency, and measurements became customary. Roads and canals, as well

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Chris Drumheller August 21, 2014 Advanced U.S. / VA History Mrs. Fails Effects of the Columbian Exchange on the World The Columbian Exchange changed nearly every society on Earth. Without it, the products of the world would be completely different. Foods, animals, and farming techniques were transported between the New World and the Old World; yet diseases and slavery were transferred between the two worlds.

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1432 Words | 6 Pages

Instead of trading food, clothes, fur, etc, they actually used coins. Their coins were made out of metal, and most of them had a hole in the middle. This was designed to string it together so you won’t lose them. They also invented iron. Which is much stronger than

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217 Words | 1 Pages

The benefits did outweigh the consequences. To start off, I have three topics to support/back up my conclusion that the benefits did outweigh the consequences. Next, the Columbian Exchange. The Native Americans gave the Europeans gold and silver. They also gave them corn, potatoes, beans, vanilla, chocolate, tobacco, and cotton.

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We understand that the birth of the coinage was invented not so much as a convenient but more of a necessity. The economic system was in shambles Debt, as it is even today is increasingly common. For maritime trade especially barter seems to be the most common form of exchange as the problem with coinage in the ancient world was that the value of coins between city-states was often different. Still, for the citizens of a particular city and surrounding territories coinage became a very useful way to buy and sell goods, and to pay for public services. Through out our reading we have learned of the roll the elephant played in the ancient world.

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The intended audience of the article “ The Columbian Exchange- a History of Disease, Food and Ideas” are scholars and students. The article has large amount of statistics provided about the amount of production of certain foods in certain countries, the amount of exchange between the old world and the new world and the top consuming countries for various new world foods. The foods discovered also includes their benefits and harms. 2. The author’s main argument is that the new world has several impacts on the old world which includes many pros and cons.

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574 Words | 3 Pages

During the early 1400’s European exploration initiated changes in technology, farming, disease and other cultural things ultimately impacting the Native Americans and Europeans. Throughout Columbus’ voyages, he initiated the global exchange that changed the world. The exchange of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old and New World began soon after Columbus returned to Spain from the Americas. These changes had multiple effects, that were both positive and negative. Although the Columbian Exchange had numerous benefits and drawbacks but the drawbacks outweighs the benefits.

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