The Columbian Exchange Effects

The Columbian Exchange created a great effect upon the world excluding the Asian and Malaysian continents. With it starting in the late 15th century and continuing till the mid-17th century it created a transcontinental trade of slaves, food, and raw supplies between Europe, Africa, South America, North America, and the Caribbean. These effects normally surrounded around the themes of social, politics, and economics; which were recorded by many documents, maps, and diagrams. The Columbian Exchange gained momentum when Christopher Columbus had “discovered” North America and the Native Americans. Being one of the first Europeans to find this new continent, he began to make relations with these new individuals but in the process take advantage

of them. This discovery bred a new mix of plants, animals, bacteria, and cultural diffusion. Often times when cultural diffusion did not work they would resort to slavery and exploit many other ethnic groups, on being Africans.
The documents that were analyzed that fit into politics shows how the Europeans political influence on the new world affected the views of the Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans. The first two documents were European maps before and after Columbus discovered the new world. These documents outlined the contrast in how the Europeans viewed the world geologically and how it affected the political outreaches of Europe. The third document was a letter from Kongo King Afonoso to Portuguese King Joao. In this letter Afonoso is condemning the slave trade in his country of Kongo towards Joao the Portuguese king, also stating that his men are helping in illegally enslaving individuals of Kongo. This shows how the effect of that the Europeans were wrongfully acting inside the trade that was caused by the discovery of the new world, which they did not only benefit from but caused the alteration of history and the alteration of multiple ethnic groups. If another document had to be explained to clarify this statement it would be a written document of one of the Native Americans or Africans that were enslaved to justify how deceitful and wrong the Europeans were in their actions.
The documents that apply to economics shows how the Columbian Exchange benefited the Europeans, they also show the affects upon the Native Americans and Africans during this time. The first document showed the movement of slave trade and what industry they were slaves in. The second document showed how the Africans were packed like cargo on a ship to have the best profitable trade. The third document showed the exchange of goods across multiple continents and multiple trade routes, but also showing what kinds of diseases and livestock were traded. The last document shows the cruel, and sinful acts brought upon the natives of Huancavelica by the Europeans and how the natives normally responded to this affliction. The effects in an economic stand point during the Columbian Exchange were drastic. The effect was Europe gained money but in the process made other individuals lose their human rights and lose all hope but you could even say they had no idea of the situation they were in until it was too late.
The documents that were categorized under the social category shows the feelings and effects brought upon the victimized races and ethnic groups of the Columbian Exchange.

The first document shows the effect of when the Europeans exchanged the disease smallpox during relations with the Native Americans which started one of the largest disputed genocides in history. The second document shows how the Europeans would force the Natives to convert to their religion and practices but also the consequences when they did not do so. The third document notes the kind of thought that was put into categorizing each intermarriage of race and how it may shows the segregation of them. The last document is a spiritual of how Africans taken into slavery reacted and felt, them stating that they feel like a motherless child because they were often taken at a younger age. The social effects of the Columbian Exchange are the most important contrast to the actions of the Europeans because they are the only account that were not by the Europeans themselves so they see the event in a true light compared to the biased opinion. The social effects caused the destruction of ethnic culture by conversion or genocide especially for the Native

Americans.
The Columbian Exchange caused the Europeans to gain surplus amounts of territory, money, supplies, and political power even if it destroyed the nature of other humans.

These documents were sought to explain the social, political, and economic effects of the Columbian Exchange and describe the interaction between Native Americans, Africans, and Europeans. The Europeans were the main cause for these effects during the Columbian Exchange, while the effects were caustic to the new continents they did cultivate a new mix of plants, animals, bacteria, and cultural diffusion which changed the course of history on a path no one would be able to predict except for the ones that lived

it.