Columbian Exchange free essay sample

What was the most important motive behind European maritime expansion? What was the most important motive behind European maritime expansion? What was the most important motive behind European maritime expansion?Did the Columbian Exchange change the world for the better or for the worse? The Columbian Exchange refers to the period of cultural and biological give-and-take between the New and Old Worlds. Interchange of plants, animals, and technology renovated European and Native American ways of life. After Columbus discovered the New World in 1492 the exchange continued throughout the years of growth and discovery. The Columbian Exchange changed the social and cultural sides of all parties. Improvements in farming production, evolution of warfare, improved mortality rates and education are a few illustrations of the reason why the effect of the Columbian Exchange on the world over-shadows the negative effects such as the diseases that were exchanged. On a technological stand point the Europeans didn’t significantly benefit from the less innovative Native Americans. We will write a custom essay sample on Columbian Exchange or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The natives gained many advancements in weapon capabilities including firearms and steel knives. Hunting with firearms proved more beneficial compared to bow and arrows.What was the most important motive behind European maritime expansion? With these improvements they were also able to defend themselves easier from aggressive adversaries. The Europeans may not have gained much from the Native Americans in technology, but they did take advantage of their ideas and culture. The voyage to the new world was made by humans but also animals. Both domesticated and non-domesticated animals made a huge impact on both worlds. When explores brought over new bigger and stronger animals they introduced new means of transportation, labor form, and food source. Horses and cattle were one of the biggest influences on the new world because the horses provided improved means of transportation, the cattle were used for their meat and hides, and when they are both used properly they promoted agricultural growth. One of their downfalls was that they would devastate the native’s crops by trampling and grazing them, but a benefit that the animals had going for them is that they were rarely troubled by diseases that decimated the indigenous population. Diseases were transmitted from Europeans to Native Americans as well as vice versa. Since both were isolated from each other, their immune systems were primed for different ailments, the natives were susceptible to the European’s Smallpox,  Measles, and Yellow Fever; while the explorers were vulnerable to Syphilis, Polio, and Hepatitis. Natives were devastated by the illnesses because they were airborne and could spread by touch also. In some cases various tribes were infected and almost completely wiped out before they even made contact with the Europeans. At the time these epidemics made it easy to say that the Columbian Exchange only had a negative effect on the world. There is a positive side to this tragic tradeoff, without it we wouldn’t have been able to develop antidotes to help prevent them and make our immune system stronger. Natives benefited substantially from the exchange of technology, while the Europeans profited from the native’s ideas and culture. Even though the useful animals were able to prosper in the new land and help the agriculture thrive, many of un-domesticated animals crossed over to the New World carrying diseases, but without these viruses we would not have been prepared for them as well as we are today. On first glance, the damaging conditions seem to out-weigh the positive ones, but after taking the future’s benefit into consideration, being able to develop cures, and having the knowledge on how to handle dreadful situations whether it is violent, medical, financial, or agricultural they all easily counter the negative effects of the Columbian Exchange.