Negative Effects Of The Columbian Exchange

Linking the eastern and western hemispheres, the Columbian exchange affected the Americas by introducing lethal diseases, leading to negative demographic, economic, and social effects, however, it also introduced many new crops and domesticated animals which helped lead to a large increase in food supply and transportation.

With the introduction of the Columbian exchange, many goods were traded between the old world and the new world. However, a consequence of this is the upbringing of new diseases that the new world has never interacted with before. The new world being isolated from the rest of the world had not built-up immunity to the diseases the Conquistadors brought with them from urban areas. Therefore, diseases such as smallpox caused demographic changes by ravaging the lives of countless indigenous societies, and increasing the mortality rate, taking credit for eliminating 90% of the indigenous population. Due to this, negative social changes occurred in the lives of the indigenous people,

This can be seen with the introduction of wheat and grapes, which led to a change in the diet of indigenous people making their diets more diverse and healthier. In addition to a healthier diet, the new crops required new agricultural innovations, such as irrigation and plowing, which Europeans taught to the indigenous which caused crop cultivation to increase. In addition to the new crops, domesticated animals such as horses were being introduced. The horse was game-changing because, before the Columbian Exchange, natives ate little meat. With the horse available, however, they were able to hunt more efficiently, leading to a greater amount of food. Horses also introduced greater mobility and strength than humans could provide, making them useful for warfare and farming as a horse could be used for