Question

Argue whether the Columbus Exchange was positive/negative for BOTH Native Americans and Europeans?

How did Europeans justify the conquest of Native Americans and their territory?

Answer 1

Native hunters were eager to trade prepared deer hides and other pelts for lengths of colored cloth. Metal tools such as axes, hoes, and knives became valuable new resources. New trade goods brought from across the Atlantic Ocean changed American. New food and fiber crops were introduced to Eurasia and Africa, improving diets and fomenting trade there. In addition, the Columbian Exchange vastly expanded the scope of production of some popular drugs, bringing the pleasures — and consequences — of coffee, sugar, and tobacco use to many millions of people.

The Columbian Exchange: goods introduced by Europe, produced in New World. As Europeans traversed the Atlantic, they brought with them plants, animals, and diseases that changed lives and landscapes on both sides of the ocean.

POSITIVE IMPACTS

1. From New World to Old World: corn/maize:- Corn, or maize, is one of the most important foods the Old World received from the New World.“If maize were the only gift the American Indian ever presented to the world, he would deserve undying gratitude, for it has become one of the most important of all foods for men and their livestock.”1 Corn can be grown on land that can’t easily grow rice or wheat. It has become an important food in Europe, Egypt, India, China, and other countries.
2. From Old World to New World: cows, oxen, horses, donkeys, pigs, sheep :- They became an important source of food and can pull and lift heavy loads. Horses allowed hunters to travel great distances and increased the area over which natives could search for food. Donkeys were important pack animals. Pigs and sheep were used for food and clothing.
3. From Old World to New World: sugar cane:- The Spanish brought sugar to Mexico and Peru in the 16th century. It was soon grown in the Caribbean islands and other South American countries.
4. From Old World to New World: bananas:- Bananas were fi rst grown in Southeast Asia and brought to the Caribbean islands (Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, and other islands) in 1516.
5. From New World to Old World: other foods, including beans (lima, butter, kidney, and many others), peanuts, sweet potatoes, manioc (cassava or tapioca), squashes, pumpkins, papaya, guava, avocado, pineapple, tomatoes, chili peppers, strawberries, and cocoa beans.
6. From Old World to New World: other foods, including wheat, coffee, beans, rice, and lettuce.

NEGATIVE IMPACTS

1. diseases that devastate humans:- Because they were separated from the rest of the world, Native Americans had no prior contact with smallpox and other deadly diseases. This made the diseases more dangerous than they were for Europeans.large numbers of Native Americans died from measles, smallpox, infl uenza, and other diseases.
2. diseases that devastate animals:- European animals brought diseases with them that attacked llamas and alpacas.
3. rat infestation
4. sand fleas:- Sand fleas, or chiggers, are insects that penetrate human skin. When they deposit eggs under the skin, they can cause dangerous infections.
5. exploitation of workers and slavery

Colonization ruptured many ecosystems, bringing in new organisms while eliminating others. The Europeans brought many diseases with them, which decimated Native American populations. Colonists and Native Americans alike looked to new plants as possible medicinal resources.

Essentially, there are economic, social, and political reasons that the conquest of Native lands by Europeans was justified. Economically, Europeans crafted society that improved economy and quality of life. Socially, this society influenced religion and other social aspects that were an improvement to primitive society. Politically, there was no right to ownership prior to Europeans coming over. By Locke's reasoning, Europeans gained legitimate access to the land because they were able to fulfill the two aspects he deemed imperative: bestowing culture and husbandry. Also, the land was simply repossessed as Native culture was acceptant of in the past. Conclusively, there are plenty of logical and supported reasons as to why the conquest of land was justified.