The Age Of Exploration Essay

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The Age of Exploration greatly impacted the world and led to the discovery and colonization of the Americas. The Europeans were opened up to new land and extreme wealth, while discovering the Americas. When the Europeans met with the Native Americans, both groups of people were introduced to animals and plants that they had never seen before. However, this Age of Exploration also had a negative impact on the world. While the Europeans set up colonies, they destroyed the land and the lives of the Native American people. While many aspects of the Age of Exploration had positive effects, such as the exchange of new foods and animals, there were also negative effects, such as the exchange of diseases between Europe and the Americas. Even though the discovery of the Americas was accidental, it left a major impact on the world.
Long distance trade and travel increased dramatically and the world became linked. One of the major positive impacts of the Age of Exploration was the exposure to new foods, plants, animals, ideas, and customs. This was all part of the Columbian Exchange. Cultures traveled long distances. From the Americas, tomatoes, pumpkins, squash, peppers, chocolate, tobacco, and especially corn and potatoes were introduced to the Europeans and Africans. From Europe to the Americas and Africa, wheat, melons, cattle, pigs, goats, chickens, and horses were introduced. From Africa, bananas and coconuts were introduced to the Americas, along with enslaved Africans. Cultural diffusion was the ultimate positive effect of the Age of Exploration. Christianity, the Spanish language, and farming techniques were also spread during the Age of Exploration. Because of these farming techniques and new food and plants introduced, the p...

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...o the diseases they were exposed to, but they were still treated terribly. They were forcibly moved out of their homes in Africa to become slaves in the new colonies. Africans had eventually become an important part of the Americas, because they populated the various regions of the new world. Even though worldwide trade was now taking place, colonies were forbidden by their mother countries to trade with others. Also, because there was so much money and gold in circulation because of the colonies, inflation occurred.
The Age of exploration served as a major turning point that greatly impacted the world. It was a significant time in the understanding of geography, and the establishment of colonies in the Americas. The Europeans greatly benefitted from the colonies they set up, but, unfortunately, caused major destruction and devastation to the Native Americans.

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