Should you be grateful for the columbian exchange?

Answer 1

Depends on your perspective. If you are a native American, you can thank the Columbian exchange for bringing yellow fever, measles, smallpox and a great number of other diseases to the New World, but also a great variety of domesticated animals and plants. If you are European, you have the New world to thank for syphilis, but also for the potato, tobacco, maize and a lot of other domesticated plants.

Looking at the illnesses, the native Americans definitely got the short end of the stick. Looking at the domesticated animals and plants the Europeans brought slightly more variety in than they got out. In short: if you are an American and crazy about bananas, you should indeed be grateful for this European import. Same thing - other way around - if you are a European and a heavy smoker. A European suffering from syphilis may on the other hand not be so grateful.

Answer 2

I think yes we should be because if it weren't for Columbus we probably wouldn't be here right now. Also its in memory of his remembrance for his life that he lived and sailed the sea and what he had to do growing up.