What were the positive and negative outcomes of the Columbian Exchange?
Quick Answer
Positive outcomes of the Columbian Exchange include technological advances in farming, architecture, and weaponry, whereas negative outcomes include disease and the oppression of indigenous Americans. It refers to the period of cultural and ecological exchange that occurred between Europeans and indigenous Americans.
Continue ReadingFull Answer
The Columbian Exchange started with Christopher Columbus's landing on the shores of San Salvador in 1492. European exploration of and expansion into what they called the New World influenced changes in technology, farming, disease and cultural life for both Europeans and indigenous Americans. These changes had multiple effects, both positive and negative. In fact, what is viewed as a "positive" versus a "negative" outcome in the absolute is widely debated in the historical literature.
For example, one cited positive outcome of the Columbian Exchange is that Europeans introduced indigenous Americans to technological advances in firearms and weaponry. However, such a view assumes that indigenous Americans were uncultivated, unadvanced and uncivilized prior to European arrival, a view that lay historian Charles C. Mann challenges in his popular book, 1491. Mann shows instead that indigenous Americans, rather than being primitive, simply had no need for the kind of firearms technology Europeans had developed.
However one unambiguously negative outcome of the Columbian Exchange is that disease epidemics spread among Europeans and indigenous Americans alike. These epidemics were caused by lack of exposure to particular ailments. While Europeans were affected in large numbers by New World diseases, indigenous Americans suffered genocide as a result of the diseases they were exposed to, which included smallpox and measles.
Learn more about Exploration & ImperialismRelated Questions
-
Q:
How is the Columbian Exchange significant in history?
A: The exchange of animal and plant populations across the Atlantic Ocean, known as the Columbian Exchange, began in the late 15th century and dramatically al... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
Who were the Pilgrims?
A: The Pilgrims were a group of approximately 100 people who in 1620 sailed on the Mayflower ship to North America, known then as the New World from England; ... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What are the positive and negative effects of imperialism?
A: The pros of imperialism included improvements to local transportation and the building of additional schools and hospitals, while the cons included the dom... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What are ethical considerations?
A: Ethical considerations involve researchers who undertake studies of human behavior, medical advances or technological devices, while taking into account ho... Full Answer >Filed Under:
You May Also Like
-
Q:
What were the staple crops of the American colonies?
-
Q:
What is the life of a colonial baker?
-
Q:
What are some interesting facts about Sir Francis Bacon?
-
Q:
What are some interesting facts about Pedro Alvares Cabral?
-
Q:
Why did Jacques Cartier want to explore?
-
Q:
What are the accomplishments of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado?
