Environmental Effects Of The Columbian Exchange On Native Americans

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. Although the Columbian Exchange supplied Spain with limitless wealth in the silver industry, the presences of both the Europeans and the Africans caused a wide-spread outbreak of diseases across the Atlantic World. Because the Native Americans had no immunities to deadly diseases such as small pox, these epidemics spread at an alarming rate. Entire towns perished without anyone left to bury the deceased.

This blend of Spanish and Indian population was known as Mestizo. Another blending of the races appeared in the lives of the Europeans as plantation owners fathered children through the African female slaves. This mixture was known as mulatto. Many different opinion were formed from these unions and was classified in the same manner. Although future generations benefited from these events, the New World was forever changed. Many generations and cultures of people were completely lost in the aftermath of the epidemics, but the benefits from the Columbian exchange enhanced population growth worldwide. As the cultural changes took place, there was a mixing in the races that still exist today. The Native Americans began a struggle to survive while people such as the Spanish gained riches from mining the abundant silver, but also soon became bankrupt from their greed. Like most things the Columbian exchange was a blessing and a