The Columbian Exchange

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in Veracruz, Mexico compliments the map well also. Among with the goods, domesticated animals such as cows, pigs and horses can be seen. (Document 5) Unlike other domesticated animals, horses were a reintroduction. Horses originally evolved in North America and migrated to Eurasia. However, they died off in the Americas during the Pleistocene era. Sheep and goats were also proved to be popular in the Americas. Thanks to these new introductions, within 100 years, huge herds of wild cattle roamed the natural grasslands of the Americas. Eventually ranching economies emerged, based variously on cattle, goats, or sheep. The largest ranches emerged in the grasslands of Venezuela and Argentina, and on the broad sea of grass that stretched from northern Mexico to the Canadian prairies. Native Americans used the livestock for meat, tallow, hides, transportation, and hauling. Ultimately, wave of domesticated animals brought from the Old World emerged one of the most remarkable economies for its time.

Taking into account the Silk Road, the bubonic plague was spread throughout Europe through the trade route, likewise, diseases were spread throughout the New World through the exchange. Looking back into Document 4, we can verify that goods were not the only thing that was being exchanged, diseases came along with it. Historically, we were able to conclude that the incident was not the first time it occurred. One of the most common among these diseases is the smallpox, which the Native Americans had no immunity over. Many assume that the forced labor set upon the Native Americans extracted tolls in life; however that is not the case. Due to the disease, Native American population fell from between fifteen and twenty million. (Document 7) Combining the forced labor and diseases, the population dropped by 90% Many tribes were left week and defenseless, leaving them wide open to attacks. Europeans were able to take advantage of this situation, specifically the English; they wanted a permanent settlement to the Native American land. Looking into these events, trade comes with a shadow, along with goods, death follows. The Columbian Exchange was never the only trade that diseases spread over.

The Columbian Exchange could be seen as the trade of goods between the Old and New World, however, previous history of trades could tell us that goods are not the only outcome of trade. The Columbian Exchange impacted the New World in various ways. The environment was damaged from invasive species such as rodents and weeds. Domesticated animals led to an emergence of ranching economies. Diseases such as measles and smallpox destroyed the Native American population. Besides from these changes, the English attempted to convert the Native Americans to Christianity. They believed it would be easier to convert them by gentle means rather than by force. The English had good intentions; they planned to establish a market place for European goods. These impacts ultimately led to our modern cultures and societies of the North and South America. In parallel to the Columbian Exchange, there was a religious and philosophical exchange throughout the Silk Road also. Like Christianity spread through the exchange, philosophies such as Buddhism spread through the Silk Road. The only difference is that the spread of Christianity was mainly forced. With this in mind, we can safely assume that global trade has the power to impact a country with diverse changes.