The Columbian Exchange in the Americas: Change Over Time The Americas were influenced by many different factors. These factors led to the population dropping and population skyrocketing. Advancing technology and biology made an impact as well. From 1492 to around 1750 societies from Europe and Africa greatly influenced and changed the Americas. The Europeans introduced a deadly wave of small pox and the measles, where slaves from Africa were brought over to grow and harvest sugar cane.
Spanish missionaries and conquistadors sought to convert the people of the New World and establish dominance overseas. To do this, they needed the labor of African slaves, leading to another mass migration. This migration helped explode the population of the New World since so many people came to the Americas with the promise of cheap land and easy living. Migration was a heavy factor in the changes to the Native American population for this migration. The people of the Old World brought their diseases with them, which took advantage of the Native Americans inexistent antibodies toward illnesses like smallpox- which brought about massive and catastrophic population decreases for the Native Americans, about 80-90%.
With the arrival of Spanish colonies in the Americas in 1492 following the first voyage by Christopher Columbus, a worldwide exchange of plants, animals and pathogens took place between Europe, Africa and Asia that significantly impacted of all civilizations. This involved introducing foreign products that largely affected the livelihood of the receiving country, whether it being new foods brought in to resolve nationwide problems of famine or starvation, or the crippling population decline of the Native Americas through exposure of disease brought over by the Europeans. Having no previous contact with Europeans and therefore no natural immunity, new diseases such as smallpox and measles, an outbreak infected the Natives that quickly wiped out much of the population, most notably were the indigenous population of the Caribbean Islands who were almost driven to existence due to the epidemic alone. By 1540, it was recorded that up to 90 percent of the entire population succumbed to what was described as a plague that would last from weeks to months before spreading to a different area, effectively the most devastating death toll even compared to the following wars led by the Spaniards. The amount of death did not stop the Spaniards from taking advantage of the fertile land for the crops and livestock they brought over.
Chapter 14 Id’s Chapter Thesis: From 1450 to 1750, three regions: the Americas, Europe, and Africa impacted the world for the good as the exchanged goods, ideas, culture, but most importantly this mixing resulted in new people of the world with mixed races and new cultures, crops, economy, etc. 1) The Great Dying “The Great Dying” consisted of the Native American societies. The Great Dying was a phenomenon and was quoted “surely the greatest tragedy in the history of the human species.” In essence it was the demographic effect of diseases brought by Europeans on the Americas. It occurred between 1450 and 1750. It occurred on lands from Mesoamerica to the Caribbean islands.
Through the Columbian Exchange there were new varieties of plants, animals, and diseases that the Europeans transferred to the Americas. The new plants and animals had an enormous impact on the natural environment of the Americas. The new plants such as wheat, olives, grapes, rice, bananas, and sugar created a variety of dietary options. European livestock multiplied prolifically and destroyed land by trampling the land with their hooves. The introduction of cattle and horses specifically provided transportation and mobility in warfare in addition to hides and meat.
By mid-century the richest 10% in Boston and Philadelphia owned nearly two-thirds of the taxable wealth in their cities. In the New England countryside landholdings were repeatedly subdivided as the supply of unclaimed land decreased and families grew. In the south prosperity was weighed out in terms of slave ownership, meaning wealth was not distributed evenly among the whites; gap between the gentry and the “poor whites” widened as more and more whites were more likely to become tenant farmers. INDENTURED SERVANTS “Jayle Birds”- convicts and paupers involuntarily shipped to America Black Slaves – least fortunate of all, enjoyed no equality with the whites, source of cheap labor for the colonies, oppressed and restricted for fear of rebellion. Most honored profession – Christian Ministry.
“Throughout the Famine years, nearly a million Irish arrived in the United States. Famine immigrants were the first big wave of poor refugees ever to arrive in the U.S. and Americans were overwhelmed.” (The History Place 5) The Irish Potato Famine began in September 1845, the potato plants turned black and rotted as a result of an airborne fungus called phytophthora infestans. Because this fungus is highly toxic, thousands of potato plants can become infected from just one plant that has the fungus. During the summer of 1846, the weather was working against the people of Ireland. The cool moist summer spread the fungus to even more potato plants.
The Spanish forced Native Americans to convert to Christianity. Although the population of Spanish conquistadors (conquerors) only numbered in the hundreds compared to Native Americans who were in the millions, the Spanish had greater advantages, bringing guns, horses, and disease. The quality of European guns and cannons were superior to the arrows and spears of Native Americans. Horses frightened natives in the Americas who have never seen one before. Native Americans had no immunity to the diseases that the Europeans unconsciously carried which wiped out whole villages and resulted in the 90 percent population decline in the 1500s (Ellis
Trevor Mr. H HIS 155 10 October 2014 Effects of The Black Death-Analysis Paper The Black Death was a pandemic disaster that affected all aspects of life in the Middle Ages of Europe. Depopulation and shortage of labor hastened changes already inherent in the rural economy; the substitution of wages for labor services was accelerated, and social stratification became less rigid. Psychological morbidity affected the arts; in religion, the lack of educated personnel among the clergy gravely reduced the intellectual vigor of the church. After a brief respite, the plague resumed and touched almost the entire known world. The plague caused significant changes in the civilization of Europe and other surrounding communities.
What Caused the Civil War? From 1861 to 1865, civil war broke loose and resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of American lives; forever changing the history of the United States. The causes of the Civil War are plenty, but the three main causes of the bloodshed in America can be classified into economic, political, and moral reasons. The South’s economic strengths were largely agricultural; specifically the growing of tobacco, wheat, and cotton. Between 1790 and 1861, the year in which the Civil War began, plantation agriculture expanded, therefore, the demand for slaves increased.