Columbian Exchange

Before the 14th century, the Eastern and Western hemispheres of the Earth were separate entities, neither knowing the other existed. Communities adapted independently and developed their own customs, technology, and lifestyle. This all changed in 1492, when Christopher Columbus set sail across the Atlantic Ocean and ignited a revolutionary movement which would forever alter the world (Biology, Ecology, and the Discovery of the New World). As increasing populations of Europeans settled into the New World, especially in the New England region, they constructed the Columbian Exchange by bringing new animals, plants, and societal traditions which rapidly transformed the environment. Domesticated animals and livestock, a concept Native Americans …show more content…
This includes “the development of new populations of species in previously uninhabited areas” and “the spread of disease agents in areas with no existing immunities” (Biology, Ecology, and the Discovery of the New World). One of the most famous and largest occurrences of biological exchange is the Columbian Exchange, where the Old and New Worlds collided and brought a massive transformation to the environment. For the first time in history, globalization had occurred and this indicates a constant communication and transference from both sides of the world. The Old World provided corns, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, and other crops in exchange for the New World’s grains, bananas, citruses, and livestock (Biology, Ecology, and the Discovery of the New World). Flora and fauna were not the only foods traded; germs and diseases that spread rampantly due to the lack of immunity to never-before-seen bacteria in the area. The introduction of new plants, animals, and diseases to the New World drastically affected the environment, which will be explored further in this …show more content…
Cronon even labels them as “the weed creatures of New England” (135). They roamed through forests uncontrollably, causing problems to most communities and depleting their resources. Animals also require a large amount of land to settle. “One inevitable consequence of an English agricultural system that mixed the raising of crops with the keeping of animals was the necessity of separating the two--or else the animals would eat the crops” (Cronon 130). Separating areas between crops and animals meant that much more land was needed for food cultivation compared to old Native techniques. The introduction of livestock is one of the many aspects which dramatically affected the environment of New