Columbus Exchange Disease

The Columbian Exchange took place because of exploration. Many important foods, animals, plants, and other items were introduced to the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia because of it. The exchange had both a positive effect on the world such as improving the diet and life expectancy of people throughout the world by eating potatoes and corn. And also leading to the spread of disease and the start of slavery in the Americas.

The Columbian Exchange caused massive devastation for the Native Americans. When the Europeans and Africans began exploring this new world, there were a multitude of new plants, animals, and germs which were exchanged. Along with this exchange came new cultural influences and disastrous outcomes. Also as the Europeans and Africans began to invade the Native American territory, major environmental changes began to take place. The Atlantic World would forevermore be altered.

During the late 1400s and the early 1500s, European expeditioners began to explore the New World. Native Americans, who were living in America originally, were much different than the Europeans arriving at the New World; they had a different culture, diet, and religion. Eventually, both the Native Americans and the European colonists exchanged different aspects of their life. For example, Native Americans gave the Europeans corn, and the Europeans in return gave them modern weapons, such as various types of guns. This type of trade was called “the Columbian Exchange.” However, the Columbian exchange didn’t always benefit both the Native Americans and the Europeans. Diseases were also exchanged, specifically to the Native Americans. Whether the exchanges were positive or negative, the Columbian exchange had a huge global effect, both immediately after the exchange and long-term. The Columbian exchange caused inflation in Europe, change in hunting habits of Native Americans,change in farming habits within Europe, and a large decrease of Native American populations.

Soon after 1492, sailors unknowingly introduced diseases into the New World, such as smallpox, measles, mumps, whooping cough, influenza, chicken pox, and typhus to the Americas. People who lived in Afro-Eurasia had developed some immunities to these diseases because they had long existed among most Afro-Eurasian populations. However these new diseases were introduced to American populations that had no prior experience of them and had no such immunities to them.On their return home, European sailors brought syphilis to Europe. Although less deadly, the disease was known to have caused great social disruption throughout the Old

4) The spread of diseases like small pox via the interaction between Europeans and Amerindians was essential in European conquest of the western hemisphere because it led to changed social, economic, and political relations in Europe and also created diversity and new cultures.

It can be concluded that the Columbian exchange had many positive and negative effects on the inhabitants of both the Old and New Worlds from c. 1550 - c. 1700. In Columbus’s first voyage, the New World was seen as astoundingly pure and nearly magical (document 1). However, as a result of the extensive exchanges that took place between the Old and New Worlds, the Americas were impacted by the mass transfer of bacteria, economic practices and

The Columbian Exchange was exchange of crops, animals and diseases from the Old World to the New World. The exchange seems mutually beneficial, with the Old World getting new crops such as tobacco, and the New World getting the basic cereal crops which the Old World survived on for centuries and livestock such as horses and cattle, but along with all the valuable crops and animals also came disease. The main reason why the Columbian Exchange came to be was the explorer, Christopher Columbus, discovered the Americas when searching for India, and other Europeans subsequently followed his path to the New World. Columbus was looking for India and the Spice Islands, which had, hence it name, many spices that could be sold for a huge profit back

The population in some of the areas of the old world were able to rapidly increase and sustain themselves with the surplus of new food and animals that had been transported from the new world. Hunting and farming was able to be done much more efficiently in the new world because of the many animals, such as the horse, that had been transported from the old world. However the columbian exchange also had some downfalls for everyone. With the rapid amount of gold and silver that was being brought back from the new world, the old world saw a rapid rise of prices which would eventually bse called the price revolution. The constant shiploads between both worlds also brought diseases to both sides. The population of native american took a big impact from some of the diseases that were transported from the old world. Smallpox, measles, and malaria were just a couple of the common diseases that killed many native americans. The old world also faced a lot of deadly diseases, such as syphilis. These diseases decimated many populations in both worlds and even eliminated some native american

Tobacco was a novelty crop many European had yet to experience. With the increased use of tobacco many side effects such as gum disease and cancer came along with it. "The Indians also taught the white man about tobacco and cocaine . . ."(The Crimes of Christopher Columbus). The Indians are also credited with the introduction of one of the first sexually-transmitted diseases, Syphilis, into the European society. Just as the Europeans had no internal defense system for the disease, syphilis, Indians endured many hardships fighting off the numerous diseases that followed the Europeans to the Americas. "The disaster began almost as soon as Columbus arrived . . . smallpox . . . was a particularly efficient killer" (The Great Disease Migration). Even Pocahontas died contracting smallpox after a trip to England with her husband, John Rolfe. There a very few positive things that are associated with the idea of health and wellness during the Columbian

The most important historical impact of the Columbian Exchange is human because they are the first to form settlement on the native land. According to Mr. Johnson 's history slide shows Columbus sailing from Spain wanting to trade with India, however traveled to another route instead. Once he arrived to the new land he greeted with the indian tribe and convince them to trade with him. In the first Columbus video shows Columbus was a nice person who tries to negotiate with the indians, however the indian rebelled and caused destruction. The European in Columbus group dominated over the indians and used them for slavery.

Hundreds, thousands, millions, murdered by immigrants on their lands. WIth no rights peoples land, rights, and lives were taken. Over 100 million died, Disease was the deadliest of all killers. Columbus started the immigration of Europeans and nearly ended the Native American’s culture. THe genocide of Native Americans caused by European settlers in the new world was injust killing that still does not get the attention it deserves.

Columbus accidently started the Columbian exchange by discovering America while looking for economic opportunity. He was looking for a way to sail and trade directly with Asia. After he realized that the place he landed wasn 't Asia he realized the natives had gold, so he took it back to Spain. One major effect of the Columbian Exchange was the spread of diseases. When Columbus and other explorers ventured to the Americas they spread European diseases to the natives. These diseases destroyed America 's population because the natives had no natural immunities. Robert W. Strayer explains in his book Ways of the World how disease devastated the native population. "When they came in contact with European or African diseases, Native American peoples died in appalling numbers, in many cases up to 90 percent of the population. The densely settled peoples of Caribbean islands virtually vanished within fifty years of Columbus 's arrival."1 (ways of the world p 622-623) And because there were few natives, vast amounts of Europeans sailed

However, the Columbian Exchange not only brought great joy to the bellies of many populations, but to their dismay it also brought new widespread diseases. A great percentage of the pre-Columbian population of the Americas died from communicable diseases such as smallpox, cholera, influenza, typhoid, measles, etc.

To get an understanding of anything, you must go to its roots. Only through the core of its foundation can we get a glimpse of the truth. However, smallpox is an exception. Smallpox is an ancient disease whose origin is uncertain. It’s not known exactly when or where was the birth of smallpox. It is probable that smallpox existed before any known civilizations, as this disease is based on the activity of human interaction. Once a person became infected and survived, he would no longer be susceptible to this disease, and smallpox is passed on through interaction with other people. With this information in mind, entire ancient tribes could have carried this disease unknowingly, and only through emigration and immigration could the full extent of this disease been evident. Also, before major civilizations came about, most people lived in isolation from others. This isolation mitigated the spread and influence of smallpox. Once major civilizations came about, however, all of the people who were unknowingly carrying the disease would transmit the disease to many people, and there would probably be records of the plague for us to see. Therefore, it is no coincidence that one of the earliest evidence we have of smallpox is centered around one of the first major known civilizations: Egypt. Although there are no written records of diseases similar to smallpox, scientists have found 3 mummies in Egypt that have conditions in their preserved bodies similar to smallpox. Although there were only 3 mummies found, only important people were mummified and it is likely that there were many others infected. One potential reason why Egypt in particular was introduced to smallpox is because Egypt was a big center of commerce and had many diverse people coming in and out, with as many as

The Columbian Exchange had major effects on both European societies and also the native societies, eventually changing both of their lives drastically forever. As The Europeans came and settled in America throughout the late 1400s and early 1500s they concorded America as their own, this would drastically change the European societies forever. As a result of the new settlements Native Americans would be pushed and moved out of their homeland as well.