The Columbian Exchange Changed The Course Of The World

The Columbian Exchange
The Columbian Exchange changed the course of the world by paving the way countries and societies trade with each other. Through the exchange, continents introduced products that were endemic to their own ground with one another. Most of these products were vegetation, including corn, potatoes, beans, rice, wheat, and bananas. Horses, pigs, and cows were some of the animals involved in the interchange. Culture was another unique attribution made to the Exchange. Although the Columbian Exchange was very positive, there were various undesirable attributions that came along with the good ones. The Exchange created a vast demand for human slaves. Along with slaves, there were also multiple European diseases one being smallpox

These crops became very valuable due to the fact that they were nonexistent to the world outside the Americas. Maize in itself was always a cash crop in South and North America, it is believed to be what lead kingdoms to thrive. After reaching Europe it became a staple food their society. The New world also introduced animals into the exchange. Some of these animals were Turkey, bison, and a large supply of fish. The bison was especially important because of its size and uses. The bison’s meat could be cooked and eaten, and its fur could be used to make clothing or quilts. The large fish supply was also a great resource because Europe’s fish population was dwindling. (America Before Columbus). The Old World had many of their own products that were sold and traded in the Exchange. Grapes and Wheat were among the many crops harvested because of the popularity of wine and bread. Some of the Old World animals traded were pigs, horses, and cattle. Horses were useful because they provided easy transportation, and they could also be hooked up to a machine to work the

Because of these demands workers were needed to plant and harvest plantation fields filled with product. This is where Africa contributes slaves into the Columbian Exchange. People in Africa were sold into slavery and shipped to Europe, Asia, and the Americas. This however was not something modern, for hundreds of years Europeans and Asians sailed to Africa to buy and kidnap slaves.
Europe was a vastly populated continent, and had been for centuries. Diseases such as smallpox, measles, whooping cough, chicken pox, bubonic plague, typhus, and malaria (Denevan) were brought into the new world. The new world was not as densely populated as the old, and when the Europeans arrived Natives of the Americas were immune to the diseases and began to