The Columbian Exchanges - Essay Example

5 Major Exchanges Took Place between Old World and New World Following European Invasion of America 5 Major Exchanges Took Place between Old World and New World Following European Invasion of America Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the land that is now known as America in 1492 was an important turning point in the world history. The invasion of Europeans of America and the contact that developed between the two continents opened doors to the Grand Exchange. This historical event has also been called the ‘Columbian Exchange’ by a renowned historian, Alfred Crosby (Crosby, 1972). All sorts of goods, living or non – living, were traded between the ‘old world’ that was almost the whole of the Eastern Hemisphere and the ‘new world’ that now included America. These included technology, medicines, flora, fauna and unfortunately diseases as well. Animals Animals, both domestic and non-domestic, also journeyed from the Old World to the New World and vice versa. There was a very significant difference between the animals on both sides of the Atlantic. Americans mostly had dogs, guinea pigs and hens in their homes (Nunn & Qian, 2010). They did not have any animals for performing labor and did all their work by hand. In contrast, the Europeans had sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, donkeys and horses. When these animals were brought to the American continent, a revolutionizing of transportation and labor was experienced. The farmers started using the oxen to plough their fields and the horses to carry their loads. The cattle also grazed the lands of America and helped transform them into from wild forests to grasslands (Nunn and Qian, 2010). In contrast, Europe received the black rats. The rats took refuge on the ships in the American docks and travelled across the Atlantic to the Eastern Hemisphere, where they caused serious bubonic plagues and typhus, caused catastrophes and destroyed colonies (Nunn & Qian, 2010). Same was the case with the insects. The Europeans unintentionally imported a variety of insects which included different varieties of cockroaches, beetles, bees and moths. Food Two of the most important vegetables that constitute our diets today are potatoes and maize. Both these vegetables have an American origin. They were introduced to the rest of the world following the Columbian Exchange along with tomatoes. Potatoes can grow in thin soil and cold temperatures; hence they quickly became the dietary staple food of most European countries (Nunn & Qian, 2010). Maize also became popular all over Europe and replaced wheat in many cuisines. Maize grows faster than wheat hence, was generally preferred by the Eastern farmers (Crosby, 1972). Maize had an important role in sustaining the population growth of the European countries. In return, the Old World sent sugarcane to the American Natives. The cultivation of sugarcane had always been difficult in the European climate so Columbus offered the crop to the Americans instead. The plantations were successful and hence, the Americans started using it to make sugar which later became one of the greatest cash crops demanded in the world. The American food was also added greater variety by the cattle exchange as mentioned earlier. The Americans started using mutton, beef and pork in their cuisines which led to the great diversity in American cuisine that is seen today (Nunn & Qian, 2010). Technology and Ideas Technological advances were greatly influenced by the Columbian Exchange. Europe had been leading the world’s economy and industry in the late 15th century while the Americans were still unknown to such ideas of modernization. However, the Americans turned out to be quick learners and warmly accepted the technology and innovations the Europeans had to offer. One of the most important exchanges between the two worlds was that of the alphabets (Nunn & Qian, 2010). When the Europeans discovered that the Native Americans did not have any sort of formal language, they educated them and taught them how to read and write the Roman or the Dutch alphabets. This not only facilitated trade and agreements, improved intellectual levels of the American society but also helped the spread of Christianity in the new world. Thus, the Columbian Exchange helped spread Christianity, whose effects can still be seen profoundly in the modern world (Nunn and Qian, 2010). An exchange of architectural ideas was also seen to be part of the Great Exchange. European architects introduced their ideas to the Native Americans and helped them build newer and stronger homes, farms, sea ports and the new world’s first government buildings (Nunn & Qian, 2010). Villages were transformed into towns and towns into small colonies and cities. The wheel also became popular in America (Crosby, 1972). In exchange of all this, the Europeans started the ‘slave trade’ and took many Indian slaves to their homes in Europe. Diseases Not all the things exchanged between the old and new world were positive. The Columbian Exchange has been accused of transmitting a number of diseases which had adverse effects on the world’s population. Diseases, illnesses and different strains of pathogens were transmitted from the old world to the new world and vice versa. When people from the Eastern Hemisphere migrated to the American continent, they brought with themselves diseases such as smallpox, malaria, measles, chicken pox, influenza and hepatitis; most of them were contagious and thus, spread rapidly (Nunn and Qian, 2010). The American natives, who had no immunity whether active or passive to such illnesses, were thus, very susceptible to these diseases and the population was devastated. On the other hand, the Great Exchange caused syphilis to become an epidemic in the Eastern Hemisphere. This disease is transmitted through sexual contact and was mostly contracted by European sailors who remained sexually inactive for long time periods on their voyages (Nunn and Qian, 2010). Their sexual activity during their stay in America and then back home provided an easy pathway for the widespread transmission of syphilis and the disease still remains quite prevalent in the 21st century as well. Medicines Tobacco is another one of the world’s greatest cash crops, originated in the American continent. When the Europeans found the natives using tobacco leaves as a painkiller, they took some with them and the Eastern Hemisphere quickly became fond of the crop. It was used for medical purposes, both as pain reliever and a hallucinogen. Tobacco became so popular that it was declared as the ‘queen’s herb’ by the Queen of France in the late 16th century. Capsicum was also sent to Europe from America in the Columbian Exchange, where it was used as a pain reliever and a medicine for treating arthritis and respiratory disorders (Nunn and Qian, 2010). References Crosby, A. W. (1972). The Columbian exchange: Biological and cultural consequences of 1492. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. Nunn, N. and Qian, N. (2010). "The Columbian Exchange: A History of Disease, Food, and Ideas". The Journal of Economic Perspectives: a Journal of the American Economic Association, 24 (2), p163-167. Read More