The Colombian Exchange In Colonial America

The Colombian Exchange

Since the first American colonies were established, Britain had always intended to use its citizens and resources to reap a grand profit for themselves to keep their top ranking as the best imperialist country. The nutritious foodstuffs grown from the colonies caused a dramatic rise in the population, health, and life expectation of the European peoples. Although Europe 's population and economy may have thrived due to the Colombian Exchange during the late 1600 's and early 1700 's, the Americas, however, were forced to endure warfare based upon the conflicts between the Natives cultural traditions and the colonists imperialistic views, and diseases that wrought havoc on both populations from the lack of immunity.

As the Americas sent over food grown from their land such as corn or potatoes, the quality of life was forever changed for the European citizens, who had before been recovering from a period of epidemics caused by poor hygiene. Because of the high amount of nutrients and high availability of the foods, the Europeans were

Instead, for their reward, Europe provided the colonists with the opposite: a poor lifestyle with a higher mortality rate at a younger age, unhealthy bodies and immune systems, raising the mortality rate even higher with no immunity to the unfamiliar viruses and bacteria in the new area, and a higher infant mortality rate, dropping the population so low that the only reason the numbers grew was the indentured servants migrating over to the New World in search of work. All of these factors played into the poor quality of life the early colonists experienced during their lives. The limits placed upon them by the royal political leaders allowed them few financially beneficial trade partners, such as the French colonists living on the sugar plantations in the West Indies, with whom they were banned from trading tobacco for even necessary foodstuffs, not only damaging the economy, but the lives of the American