Why was th columbian exchange considered such a significant event?

Answer 1

The Columbian Exchange was important because it explained what happened when the Europeans made contact with the native population in the Americas. The result was one-sided, with the Europeans gaining tremendously, and the natives losing terribly. First of all, the Europeans gained access to rich new continents, which expanded their empires, while the natives contracted European diseases they had no immunity for, were enslaved, and had their lands and resources taken from them.

Answer 2

The columbian exchange is important because it has changed some life for the better. If the columbian Exchange had not happened, we wouldn't have the diversity in our diets that we have today. meats like beef and pork would be non-existant in he americas and foods like the tomatoes and maize(corn) would not be in the old world(Europe, Asia, and Africa). These along with many other crops, animals, and even beliefs have shaped our world for the better.

Answer 3

As a result of Columbus's voyages to the New World, a biological pipeline between America and Europe opened up that had been apart since before humans appeared on earth. The lands had drifted apart that had once been connected. Some species of plants and animals flourished in both areas, and some did not. There were many new animals and plants in the Americas that Europeans had never seen. And, Europeans brought plants and animals to the New World that America had never seen. This includes viruses and other biological organisms. The new animals brought to America upset the ecology of the area. The people living in the Americas did not have resistance to many of the "germs" brought by the Europeans. Biologically, the Indians had not been exposed to measles, smallpox, whooping cough, chicken pox, and influenza. The effect of these diseases on the Americans was catastrophic. Bacteria and viruses killed more Native Americans than did Spanish swords. The Indians also gave to the Europeans, venereal disease. Medical historians disagree on the origins of syphilis, but it was first identified by physicians in 1493, in Cadiz, Spain, the port which Columbus returned to after his first voyage. The Colombian Exchange was also a cultural exchange. New agricultural developments were traded, economic activity and opportunities opened up between the New and Old Worlds, and new ideas were exchanged.

Answer 4

As a result of Columbus's voyages to the New World, a biological pipeline between America and Europe opened up that had been apart since before humans appeared on earth. The lands had drifted apart that had once been connected. Some species of plants and animals flourished in both areas, and some did not. There were many new animals and plants in the Americas that Europeans had never seen. And, Europeans brought plants and animals to the New World that America had never seen. This includes viruses and other biological organisms. The new animals brought to America upset the ecology of the area. The people living in the Americas did not have resistance to many of the "germs" brought by the Europeans. Biologically, the Indians had not been exposed to measles, smallpox, whooping cough, chicken pox, and influenza. The effect of these diseases on the Americans was catastrophic. Bacteria and viruses killed more Native Americans than did Spanish swords. The Indians also gave to the Europeans, venereal disease. Medical historians disagree on the origins of syphilis, but it was first identified by physicians in 1493, in Cadiz, Spain, the port which Columbus returned to after his first voyage.
The Colombian Exchange was also a cultural exchange. New agricultural developments were traded, economic activity and opportunities opened up between the New and Old Worlds, and new ideas were exchanged.

Answer 5

The global transfer of foods, plants, and animals during the colonization of the

Americas is known as the Columbian Exchange. Ships from the Americas

brought back a wide array of items that Europeans, Asians, and Africans had

never before seen. They included such plants as tomatoes, squash, pineapples,

tobacco, and cacao beans (for chocolate). And they included animals such as the

turkey, which became a source of food in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Perhaps the most important items to travel from the Americas to the rest of the

world were corn and potatoes. Both were inexpensive to grow and nutritious.

Potatoes, especially, supplied many essential vitamins and minerals. Over time,

both crops became an important and steady part of diets throughout the world.

These foods helped people live longer. Thus they played a significant role in

boosting the world's population. The planting of the first white potato in Ireland

and the first sweet potato in China probably changed more lives than the deeds

of 100 kings.

Traffic across the Atlantic did not flow in just one direction, however.

Europeans introduced various livestock animals into the Americas. These

included horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs. Foods from Africa (including some that

originated in Asia) migrated west in European ships. They included bananas,

black-eyed peas, and yams. Grains introduced to the Americas included wheat,

rice, barley, and oats.

Some aspects of the Columbian Exchange had a tragic impact on many Native

Americans. Disease was just as much a part of the Columbian Exchange as

goods and food. The diseases Europeans brought with them, which included

smallpox and measles, led to the deaths of millions of Native Americans.