Columbian Exchange

442 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: The economic impact of the Columbian exchange

The start of the fifteenth century commenced an age when European Empires began to approach global exploration launching a revolutionary age of modernization. Now recognized as the Age of Exploration, this era extended between the fifteenth and seventeenth century or roughly in the years between 1418 and 1620. It is a time when Europe successfully expanded to areas in the Far East, Africa, and the Americas by the determination and nobility of European explorers, particularly Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan and Vasco da Gama. Developing at the same time as the Renaissance, The Age of Exploration demonstrated many of the same results as the Renaissance, most importantly, the quest to expand religion, profit and power. Religion,profit, …show more content…

This booming economic evolution emerged in efforts of expansion by the explorers of this age. Respectively, we should recognize these explores for their impact on the development of our global economy. The Columbian Exchange exhibits a great example of the economic benefits created by settlers of the Americas during the Exploration Age. The Columbian Exchange was the mass trade of minerals, food, and other goods between The Americas and Europe. From the Americas to Europe came corn, silver, and gold. From Europe to the Americas Came wheat, pigs, and weapons. Colonists constructed ranches with new farm animals in the Americas while the Americas exported extremely valued minerals to Europe. Both continents were immensely benefited with new sources of valued currency, nutritious food that would lead to population increase, and profitable land to be farmed and harvested. The Columbian Exchange greatly remodeled the economy of the New World and that of Europe. Or as said by William Duiker and Jackson Spielvogel “The ‘Columbian Exchange,’ as it is sometimes called was a process that ultimately brought benefits to all peoples.” Additionally, the Exploration Age embarked the theory of mercantilism. Mercantilism is the theory in which trade produces wealth and is reproduced by accumulation of possible balanced profits. This introduction to the mercantilist theory would be a pedestal for economic methods for the future two and a half centuries. Furthermore, The Exploration Age began the

Show More
Related

  • Columbian Exchange Research Paper

    747 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Columbian exchange was the exchange of goods and products that occurred when the Europeans came to America. Some of the items exchanged included potatoes and tomatoes, which originated in America, and wheat and rice, which originated in Europe. Because of this exchange, certain dishes are possible to be made. For example, tomatoes are a popular ingredient in Italian dishes, but they originated in America. Because of the Columbian exchange, Italians were able to adapt tomatoes to be included in their dishes. Similarly, there are many dishes which also cannot be possible without the exchange. This will go in-depth into a few dishes and see if they could be made without the Columbian exchange.

    Read More

  • The Columbian Exchange Chapter Summary

    1537 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Alfred J. Crosby’s book, The Columbian Exchange, the author examines the impact of the New World on the Old World, but also the impact the Old World had on the New World. One key distinction Crosby notes is how the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus challenged the intellectual systems of Christianity and Aristotelianism. Most notably, the discovery of a world that was, in fact, “new” was so contradictory to scholarly work of the past, such as Aristotle or found in the Bible, that assumptions were made on where to fit the New World into a Christian and Aristotelian world. For example, previous findings under Aristotle, which were still utilized into the 15th Century, had “quite logically supposed the equatorial zone of

    Read More

  • Dbq Columbian Exchange

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    As we all know from the memorable song, in 1492 Columbus sailed to find the New World, commonly known as the Americas. Many idolize Columbus for his accomplishment in colonizing the Americas and starting the Columbian Exchange. The Columbian Exchange is the sharing of plants, animals, diseases, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Western and Eastern Hemispheres as a direct result of Columbus’ arrival to the Americas. However, we often oversee the downfalls of the Columbian Exchange. Some consequences of the exchange are the spread of disease to the Native people and settlers, the destruction of the Native population, and the disappearance of the Natives custom’s, beliefs, and way of life.

    Read More

  • The Columbian Exchange: Chocolate

    652 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nunn, Nathan, and Nancy Qian. "The Columbian Exchange: A History of Disease, Food, and Ideas." Journal of Economic Perspectives. Yale University, 2010. Web. 12 Oct. 2013. .

    Read More

  • Columbian Exchange Thesis

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    The author’s thesis is that before the arrival of Columbus and European culture in 1492, advanced society and culture already existed in the Americas that was not of the barbaric nature. This is clear when upon observing the author’s reasons for writing the book: “Balee’s talk was about ‘anthropogenic’ forests-forests created by Indians centuries or millennia in the past-a concept I’ve never heard of before. He also mentioned something that Denevan had discussed: many researchers now believe their predecessors underestimated the number of people in the Americas when Columbus arrived...Gee, someone ought to put all this stuff together, I thought. It would make a fascinating book”(x). Charles C. Mann is stating that upon learning the impressive

    Read More

  • Cause And Impact Of The Columbian Exchange

    1284 Words  | 3 Pages

    Christopher Columbus is profoundly known to be the key asset to advance European culture across seas. The Columbian Exchange, colonization, and the growth of slave usage throughout the usage of the Triangular Trade, all conveyed foreign practices to the American Continent while also interrupting, but at the same time joining with the lifestyles of the inhabitants of these lands. A mixture of processes and voyagers transformed America into a “new world”, catching the world by surprise. America would not have developed to the period in existence today, if it was not for this growing period of the “old” and “new” worlds. A global world is in continuation through today as nations continue to share cultural

    Read More

  • Columbian Exchange

    2028 Words  | 5 Pages

    On August 3, 1492, Christopher Columbus departed from Palos, Spain to begin his journey across the Atlantic Ocean. This was the first of many voyages that allowed him to explore a New World where he was able to discover plants, animals, cultures and resources that Europeans had never seen before. The sharing of these resources and combination of the Old and New World has come to be known as the Columbian Exchange. During these explorations, the Europeans brought diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, typhoid and bubonic plague to the New World, wiping out entire Indian populations. There were also many other populations wiped out due to complications that came from this exchange. Were these explorations and the wiping out of entire populations worth the benefits gained by the exchange?

    Read More

  • Cause And Effects Of The Columbian Exchange

    1229 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Columbian exchange was the widespread transfer of various products such as animals, plants, and culture between the Americas and Europe. Though most likely unintentional, the byproduct that had the largest impact from this exchange between the old and new world was communicable diseases. Europeans and other immigrants brought a host of diseases with them to America, which killed as much as ninety percent of the native population. Epidemics ravaged both native and nonnative populations of the new world destroying civilizations. The source of these epidemics were due to low resistance, poor sanitation, and inadequate medical knowledge- “more die of the practitioner than of the natural course of the disease (Duffy).” These diseases of the new world posed a serious

    Read More

  • The Columbian Exchange And The Columbian Exchange

    558 Words  | 2 Pages

    Columbian Exchange or the big exchange was a great exchange on a wide range of animals (Horses, Chickens, sheep, swine, Turkey), plants (Wheat, barley, corn, beans, tomatoes), people and culture, infectious diseases, and ideas, technology (Wheeled vehicles, iron tools, metallurgy) all these things happened between Native Americans and from Europe after the voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. Resulting in communication between the two cultures to initiate a number of crops that have led to the increase in population in both hemispheres, where the explorers returned to Europe loaded with corn, tomatoes, potatoes, which has become one of the main crops in Eurasia with the solutions of the eighteenth century. At the same time, the Europeans crops, cassava and peanuts to Southeast Asia with a tropical climate.

    Read More

  • European Imperialism And The Columbian Exchange

    475 Words  | 1 Pages

    The origins of globalization can be traced many centuries back; however the initial date remains a highly controversial issue amongst historians to this day. Nonetheless, one fact is coherent; it played a big influence during the formation of collective identity group’s legacies. In addition, European monarchs also impacted many cultural groups through their quest for imperialism during the “Age of Discovery”. The following quote does an excellent job illustrating the consequences of European expansion. “Europe’s encounter with and treatment of the world’s tribal people is, a tale of extraordinary human achievement in adversity, conferring on the victors much of the possession of the worlds resources.” To reiterate, European expansion was

    Read More

  • The Columbian Exchange

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Columbian Exchange is the exchange of plants, animals, food, and diseases between Europe and the Americas. In 1492, when Christopher Columbus came to America, he saw plants and animals he had never seen before so he took them back with him to Europe. Columbus began the trade routes which had never been established between Europe and the Americas so his voyages initiated the interchange of plants between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, which doubled the food crop resources available to people on both sides of the Atlantic.

    Read More

  • The Columbian Exchange

    1084 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Colombian Exchange was an extensive exchange between the eastern and western hemispheres as knows as the Old World and New World. The Colombian exchange greatly affects almost every society. It prompted both voluntary and forced migration of millions of human beings. There are both positive and negative effects that you can see from the Colombian Exchange. The Colombian Exchange explorers created contact between Europe and the Americas. The interaction with Native Americans began the exchange of animals, plants, disease, and weapons. The most significant effects that the Colombian Exchange had on the Old World and New World were its changes in agriculture, disease, culture, and its effects on ecology.

    Read More

  • Influences Of The Renaissance Upon The Founding Of America

    498 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Renaissance was the most influential time period in the discovery of America. During the Renaissance, which lasted from the 14th century to the 17th century, great advancements were made in methods of navigation. Also, the greatest goal of almost every nation and empire was to claim new lands and seize its riches. The desire for the land motivated some to move westward. Another motive to expand during the Renaissance was the will to convert the native "heathens" into Christians.

    Read More

  • 18th Century Transatlantic Trade: Informative Essay

    1093 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the 18th century, many continents traded their goods in the Trans-Atlantic Trade. This process was the outcome of demand for raw materials in the Old World, and a need to make money in the New World. In addition, this trade was the source of many historical events, and changes in the function of society. The trade paved the path to a new economic structure -- every country was in a race to use as much of their own raw materials as possible, which they got from the colonies. Because the raw materials all came from harsh labor, this gave the white masters feelings of empowerment over their diverse workers in the colonies. The Trans-Atlantic Trade in the 18th century was a necessity in the rising economic principle of mercantilism,

    Read More

  • Mercantilism

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mercantilism was known as the “greatest whipping boys in the economic history” (C.W., 2013). Mercantilism was a theory of trade that was adopted by major European powers in the 1500’s to the 1800’s (Mercantilism, n.d.). It was also an economic nationality for the purpose of building a wealthy and powerful nation. The “mercantile system” is used to describe the political economy that sought to enrich the country through restraining imports and focus on exports (LaHaye, n.d.).

    Read More

More about Columbian Exchange

Open Document