The Columbian Exchange Essay

Superior Essays
Between 1492 and 1750, the Columbian Exchange, produced by European explorers in the “New World”, resulted in numerous effects to both the people of the Americas and the people of Europe. The native Indians suffered tremendously by the cultural exchange leading to population decline, and also a transformation in culture due to the new order imposed by Europe. However, Europeans benefited greatly from the Columbian Exchange by their economic gain through the attainment of new natural resources and new pool of labor. The Columbian Exchange resulted in the massive death of Native Indians via the European explorers bearing contagious diseases as seen in documents 2, 6 and 8. Due to the European migration to the Americas, Indian population declined …show more content…
Christopher Columbus described in his diary the indians ignorance and lack of religion as a motive for them to willingly convert to Christianity and learn the spanish language (doc 1). Columbus’s diary represents the ethnocentrism european explorers felt towards the indigenous people. This shows that one of the many goals of European explorers was to evangelize the Indians in order to stake their control over the area. Eventually, those indians that opposed the conversion would be threatened with their lives. Since Columbus is a white european voyager sent by Spain during the 15th century, he displays his superiority over the indians due to their lack of knowledge in weaponry and distinct physical features. The indians pagan beliefs opposed his monotheistic religion. As a result, Columbus believed that the indigenous people were savages who needed to be helped. This belief will eventually lead to the Indian’s loss of control over their native culture. Furthermore, due to the exchangement of crops, the Americas was introduced to domesticated animals, particularly, horses, pigs, sheep, and cattle (doc 3). Specifically, horses were crucial during battle since they provided faster travel and more intricate war tactics. The introduction of these species led indian tribes to leave …show more content…
Christopher Columbus, navigator and voyager for Spain, stated in his diary that the Natives ignorance of weapons such as swords made of iron and their good size and stature would make them good servants (doc 1). Columbus’s view of the natives represents the large pool of slaves that Spain will eventually acquire. Columbus described the natives as uncivilized individuals who were inferior to the European explorers. This shows slavery systems of labor exploitation were created to acquire new resources for European mercantilism. Moreover, Europe was introduced to the potato by the natives and flourished in the nation due to the economic protection the vegetable offered Europeans against tax collectors (doc 3). As a result, the potato was in great demand in Europe due to its ability to not spoil or decay. This shows that newly acquired crops such as the potato helped increase consumer markets in Europe. Eventually, the surplus of food enabled Europe to sustain a greater population that would be used to colonize the Americas and overcome famines that would soon begin. Furthermore, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella’s establishment of a new economic system, the encomienda system, demanded that Indians work to extract gold, cultivate the fields, and harvest food from the island for the Spanish

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Columbian Exchange Essay

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Some of the animals of Europe consisted of horses, pigs, cattle, and sheep. The crops from Europe consisted of rice, wheat, onion, peaches, pears, and coffee. America contributed by exchanging turkeys, llama, peanuts, potatoes, squash, tomatoes, and Maize (corn). These foods helped significantly improve and nourish the diet of the European people and African as well. Not only did it improve the diet of the people it also helped the ecological system and…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Trailblazers: The Success of the Spanish Colonies The fate of global civilization was radically changed when Christopher Columbus embarked for the New World in 1492, launching the leading European powers into a race for colonization and exploration. During this time, each country achieved varying degrees of success by employing different tactics to best conquer the uncharted territory of the Americas; for example, the French exploited the trade of beaver pelts to obtain territory and economic success (Kennedy & Cohen 99). Many of these European colonies grew into flourishing cities and centers of culture and newfound traditions. However, especially in the case of the Spanish conquest, each colony faced adversity when interacting with the indigenous…

    • 1115 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Identify two effects of the Columbian exchange had on Native Americans. The Columbian exchange caused the deaths of thousands of Native Americans from the diseases brought by the European settlers. However, the Columbian exchange also brought horses, cows and pigs to the Americas. 8.…

    • 463 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the chapter ‘Forget Columbus’ of the book ‘The Inconvenient Indian’, the author Thomas King writes about his point of view on the forgotten history of the Native Americans. He conveys about the tales made up about the natives and americans engraved in the history to mainly appeal to the white audience. The author starts the chapter by telling how insignificant was the discovery of the land of natives made by Columbus. According to him the only reason why he was given credit and recognized because his story as Columbus sailing the oceans, travelling across with interesting adventures and going through hardships with a letter to the Emperor of Indies by the King and Queen of Spain captured the imagination of the audience and met the expectations…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The Columbian Exchange was an event that was extremely significant to the world. The Columbian Exchange allowed people to see foods that they had never seen before. America brought to Europe peppers, maize, potatoes, tomatoes, snap beans, lime beans, and squash. Today, maize and potatoes are the biggest and most important crop item in Europe and used daily. Europe brought to America the crops of wheat, rye, barley, oats, and millet.…

    • 236 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Native American started to use steel knives and guns to hunt animals instead of obsidian daggers and bows, which were less effective and durable. However, these trivial advantages didn’t compensate for the devastation created by the Europeans. Although the lives of the survived Native Americans improved, the majority of Native Americans, which was ninety five percent of the total population, was killed by the diseases and brutality of the Europeans. On top of that, the devastation also spread to Africa and Europe through inflation and slavery. In this case, the minor benefits brought by the Columbian Exchange could not offset the huge disadvantages brought by…

    • 1279 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Dbq Native Americans

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages

    European explorers and the colonization of Indian Tribes heavily impacted the north American in the New World from 1492-1609. European explorers and their colonization of the Indian tribes affected the Native Americans socially, politically, and economically. Socially, the European explorers forced Indians to convert to Christianity and decimated the Native Population. Politically, Europeans caused Indians to aid each other in protecting themselves against the Europeans. Economically, the Europeans introduced the Indians to new goods and spread their trade.…

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Columbian Exchange can be seen as the trigger that helped to create the world one knows today. However, the path and gruesome outcomes that followed the founding of the Americas destroyed the Native American’s way of life. Christopher Columbus and his unintentional “mistake,” caused the world to never be the same due to the exchange of crops, food, goods, and diseases. The Columbian Biological Exchange marked the beginning of how the world we know today changed forever.…

    • 568 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The members of the expedition “unwittingly brought new diseases [smallpox] to the area that decimated the local native population. Where the Mandans had a thriving and sophisticated trading center when Lewis and Clark arrived in 1804, by the late 1830s their total population had been reduced to less than 150” (“Exploration: Lewis and Clark”). A comparison can be made between Christopher Columbus and the explorers as they both wiped out a significant portion of the Native American population, as many of them had not developed an immunity to the diseases. Additionally, many Native Americans were forced to convert to Christianity and take up farming. This eradicated the Native’s way of life, which was centered around their religion, traditions, and hunting-a method of gathering food and skins and proving oneself in the tribe.…

    • 1665 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Interactions between Europeans and Native Americans While attempting to find a faster route to the Indies, Christopher Columbus discovered another land instead. Since the English, French and Spanish were all seeking power at the time that same land would soon after be explored. As the news of the discovery spread, the English shortly found power in the acquisition of the land itself, the French in fur trade, and the Spanish in conquering and exploiting the Native Americans that originally inhabited the area. During the process of fulfilling their achievements, each European had different approaches and distinct encounters with the local Native Americans. The English initially had friendly relationships with them, but with time and trade, hostility…

    • 1287 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    However, after realizing the valuable profit of enslaving Native Americans, more indigenous groups were forced to succumb to this dehumanizing labor. Explorer, Christopher Columbus, boasted about the potential of wealth and economic benefits to his Spanish monarchs (Ojibwa). Overall, Europeans enslaved Native Americans that were war captives, eventually resulting in an increase of economic potential and overall…

    • 1539 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the year of 1492, the Spanish monarchs funded Christopher Columbus on his voyage to what was later called “the New World,” initiating a race between European countries to send out explorers to become the continent’s dominating power. Driven by the promise of wealth, status, and new beginnings, explorers conquered the lands of North and South America, resulting in their direct disruption of the indigenous peoples’ lives. Following this contact, the lives of both Native Americans and Europeans were permanently transformed by the Europeans’ desire for wealth and need to spread and dominate through religion. While providing beneficial outcomes for Europeans, these motives ultimately incited the deterioration of once-thriving native civilizations…

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The Europeans brought measles, malaria, and smallpox to the New World. Document 2 is a graph of the ¨Native American Population of Central Mexico¨. It shows the major decrease in the population of Native Americans from the years 1500 to 1620. The estimated populated in the year 1519 was 22 million, however the estimated population of Central Mexico by 1600 was 1 million. There weren't any treatments for these diseases, so Native Americans continued to die.…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As soon as they discovered the Indians, they made a significant push towards Christianity and what it had to offer. “The Indians might become Christians and inclined to love our king, queen, princes, and all the people of Spain, and they may be eager to search for, gather, and give to us what they abound in and that we greatly need (Christopher…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Spanish Colonization Essay

    • 1274 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Spanish exploration of America brought many new foods, types of plants, and forms of wealth to the European world. The wealth brought to Spain from the Americas came at a cost that was paid for by the enslavement and the sufferings of Native Americans and eventually the Africans. The Spanish colonization from 1492 to 1700 was motivated by religious conversion of all peoples in America and the desire for wealth and profit that had a significant impact on the lives of Native Americans and Africans. First, colonization by the Spanish was motivated by religious conversion. Columbus first “discovered” America in 1492.…

    • 1274 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays