Columbian exchange

The Columbian exchange was obviously a huge part of American history, and had huge implications for both the European colonists and the Native Americans.  The appearance of the colonists had both negative and positive affects on the native people, while the native people as well created benefits and drawbacks for the Europeans.
To begin with, there were some very apparent negative results for the Native Americans after the European colonists settled in the New World.  The Europeans were colonizing the land.  In class, I was asked what colonization meant, and I responded with, "Claiming new land and starting a civlization where no one has been before."  Dr. Holden slightly corrected me by saying, "By claiming land that you don't AKNOWLEDGE where others have already settled." This statement is completely true about the Columbian exchange because the European settlers came and began to start their own civlizations and almost acted as if there was no one there in some areas, which was obviously very disrespectful to the Native Americans.  Along with the disrespect, the Europeans also brought many diseases that turned out to be fatal for the native people.  Diseases such as smallpox, influenza, and malaria killed many Native Americans and were devastating to their population ("The Columbian Biological Exchange").  The natives did not have any prior contact with these diseases, so their immune systems were not strong enough to handle them.  The Europeans were also affected by disease, as they had never been exposed to some illnesses that the Native Americans passed on to them, such as syphilis ("The Columbian Biological Exchange").  The diseases were be far the most negative side effects of the Columbian exchange.  However, there were also some positive things that came out of it.

The Native Americans benefited greatly from the technology that the Europeans brought over to the New World.  The natives learned a type of European alphabet and were able to communicate through a common language, which led to a breakthrough in their own society ("The Columbian Exchange").  The enhanced farm equipment, like the plow, helped lead to more efficient farming and a greater crop surplus ("The Columbian Exchange").  The Europeans also benefited from the fertile soil in the New World.  Guns and knives brought over from Europe also helped the Native Americans to hunt and to get more food that way as well ("The Columbian Exchange").

The exchange of different plants and animals had important and positive implications for both the Europeans and Native Americans.  The Europeans brought over horses, pigs, cattle, chicken, sheep, and goats ("The Columbian Biological Exchange").   These animals served as a new mode of transportation, labor, and food.  The Native Americans shared turkeys, alpacas, and guniea pigs that were sent back to the Old World, once again signifying a mutual relationship with the Europeans.  The exchange of different plants also had great economic benefits. The Europeans brought over Sugercane, which ended up being a huge cash crop in the New World.  The two main plants sent from the New World to the Old World were Maize and Potatoes (The Columbian Biological Exchange").  Both of these plants became large parts of a European diet ("The Columbian Exchange").

The Columbian Exchange plays a substantial part in the story of American History.  It had huge effects on both the Native Americans and European colonists.  Overall, the effects were both positive and negative for both sides.  The Native Americans and Europeans were negatively effected by disease, but theu also benefited from the exchange of technology, plants, and animals.

"The Columbian Biological Exchange." The Columbian Biological Exchange. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.

"The Columbian Exchange." The Columbian Exchange. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.