The Columbian Exchange

A slideshow by Jamie Fonden

Columbus accidentally discovered the Americas seeking promises of China’s gold. He imagined that the closer he got to the equator, the closer he would be to China’s riches. A storm interrupted his mad dash and he spurred northward, coming across the Americas and bringing with him change that would affect not only the natives but most of the world.

Livestock taken to the new world by the Spanish and Columbus changed the lives of the natives in the Americas.Horses in North America that broke away from their Spanish captives flourished in the plains. The wild horses provided an effective means for Native Americans to hunt buffalo. When the cow became desirable for its meat rather than its hide both the Native Americans and buffalo were displaced and slaughtered in the thousands to retain land for meat profiteering.

In the Andes, locals had limited supply of food able to be grown in harsh climates and high elevations. One of the root vegetables able to be grown was the potato. The Spanish may have brought livestock and advanced weaponry, but the potato was one of the gifts the new world gave to the old.

The potato became the staple crop of European laborers during the Industrial Revolution. It was not only easy to cultivate but a great quantity could be grown from a small plot of land. One of the areas the potato became most widely used was Ireland.

From the bounty of the potato the poor Irish were able to have larger and larger families. They worked plots of lands largely owned by absentee landlords who occupied the only usable land in the region.

When potato crops were infected with a disease known as potato blight, Ireland lost a third of its population between 1845 and 1852. During this period, many Irish fled to North America, namely New York and Boston. They became 60% of Boston’s population and continue to influence politics in the area.

Sugar cane was another crop that spurned the migration of peoples from one continent to another except in the case of sugar cane, the move was involuntary. Columbus introduced the plantation style slavery to the Americas forcing Africans from their homes and into the new world.

The British, French and Spanish all grew sugar cane in the new world producing it via slaves. It is indicated that in Europe around 6,000 were used while in the Americas 13,000 slaves were utilized in sugar cane production. After slavery, descendents of Africans that remained continue to practice the cultural traditions of their ancestors.

Columbus introduced not only new livestock and produce to the new world but also influenced the migration of new peoples to its lands, The Americas gave back not just the potato but corn, chili peppers, tobacco, peanuts, cocoa, tomatoes and many other species of bean to name a few. Globalization began with Columbus and continues today as the influence of western culture has began to pervade even the most rural of foreign lands. Columbus’s travels both benefitted and doomed the future of modern civilization.

•Abbott, Patrick. "Prelude to the Irish Famine: The Potato." Ireland Story. Wesley Johnston. Web. 07 Nov. 2011. <http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/famine/potato.html>.

•"Great Famine (Ireland)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 07 Nov. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_(Ireland)>.

Works Cited

•The Columbian Exchange: The Age Of Discovery. AMG and Baseline, 2010. DVD