The Columbian Exchange History, Culture, And Agriculture

Geologists believe that over 200 million ago, continental drift carried the Old World and New Worlds apart, splitting North and South America from Eurasia and Africa, eventually creating two separate biological worlds (Crosby, 2009). In 1491, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans were nearly impassable barriers, and America might as well have been on another planet from Europe and Asia (Morris, 2011). However, when Christopher Columbus and his fellow voyagers made land in the Bahamas in 1492, the plant, animal, and bacterial life of these two worlds began to mix, and the world as we knew it would be forever changed (McNeil, 2008). The Columbian Exchange is the term used to describe the substantial widespread exchange of plants, animals, foods, human populations (including slaves), communicable diseases, and ideas between the Eastern and Western hemispheres that occurred after Columbus’s arrival in 1492. The Columbian Exchange is one of the most significant events to ever occur in the history of world ecology, culture, and agriculture. Although it sparked an unpredictable, uncontrollable interconnected web of events that had immediate and everlasting consequences, Columbus’s voyage to the New World marked a critical turning point in history (National Humanities Center, 2015). Advancements in education, agricultural production, evolution of warfare, and increased mortality rates are just a few examples of how the Columbian Exchange impacted both Europeans and Native AmericansShow MoreRelatedWhat Was The Columbian Exchange? Essay1618 Words   |  7 Pagesresult of this was The Columbian Exchange in which there was a large trade of animals, plants, technology, culture, slaves, diseases, and even new religions. This exchange effected the way Europeans, Americans, Asians, and Africans lived their daily lives. The Columbian exchange was by far one of the most paramount events in the history of world technology, agriculture, culture, and ecology. In this research paper the following will be answered: What is the Columbian Exchange? Plants and animals transportedRead MoreThe Impact Of The Columbian Exchange On The New World1051 Words   |  5 PagesWorld, a new era opened that would come to be known as the Columbian Exchange. With the transfer of plants, animals, culture, diseases, and ideas between Europe and the Americas, good came from the Columbian Exchange which became a possibility after Christopher Columbus set sail in 1492, giving him full credit for this duration. The plants associated with the Columbian Exchange affected the Old and New Worlds by providing success in agriculture as well as technological advancements. 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Due to a significant lack of substantial natural resources