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.
Columbus’s exploration of the New World ended lives and heritage of many people. The Discovery of the New world was later on followed by series of minor developments in navigation, geography, astronomy and economy through the Atlantic circuit but in contrast it even these minor devalopments were ”Not..worth price of human lives.”(Sale 188). Additionally Europeans imposed and substituted their institutions, ideas,languages, cultures, technologies and economy for the New World’s original heritage and language. Also” it gave birth to the most infamous and the most atrocious of all traffics, that of slave, the most execrable of crimes against nature (Reynal /190)”. Ships of African slaves crossed the Atlantic to the Americas to work on European sugar and tobacco plantations under the harshest conditions, which led to an end of many slaves’ lives.
The idea of European superiority and dominance drove the social structure of the "new world", (consisting mainly of North and Latin Americas and the Caribbean). Because of this dominant racial ideology, the native peoples of both regions were often subjects of discrimination and oppression. The extent of their mistreatment differed, as in North America they were simply pushed aside or confined to a certain area to live, while in the Caribbean and Latin America they were forced into servitude and labor. The dominant racial ideology of Europeans also fueled the slave trade that was prominent in the time period of 1500-1830, which involved shipping African slaves to the the Americas to increase the productivity of the colonies. In both areas, slaves were basically property, bought, sold, and traded to do specific and often labor intensive tasks.
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%.
During this period of time Benjamin Franklin described, “everything seems in this country, once the land of peace and order, to be running fast into anarchy and confusion.” In the book this is clearly apparent with the power balances between colonist, natives and the present British army. Life in the Americas during this time was tough for many due to the changing political powers between the British, Spanish, French, and the Colonist. Immigrants came to the colonies in search of free land, low taxes, and political freedom. Immigrants also brought many diseases with
They obtained food from the ocean and hunting the land with blow guns, bows and arrows. After Columbus' discovery, Spain took a majority control of these islands. Other European countries such as England, France, and Germany took a high interest after catching word of the beautiful islands. These countries were relentless in their attempt to control these islands. The new European settlers brought disease to the natives witch were not immune to these diseases.
Many of the items in the palace would cost the country thousands of dollars. Many outrageous clothes would be put up in the castle to show beauty even though it would put the nation into a deeper debt. All of these costly materials would help fuel the lower class people to revolt and change the French forever. The guillotine was also known as the “National Blade” because of how many lives it would take in such a short time period. Almost every crime would be punishable by death of the blade.
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.
Caroline Sullivan English, History 10 4/29/11 The Black Plague and Social Mobility The Black Plague caused cataclysmic change to European history. Wiping out more than half of Europe, it devastated all levels of society. The early 14th century in Europe was a new age of rebirth and discovery; and disaster. The increase in exchange of people and ideas throughout the world caused more and more people to come in contact with each other, and so did their diseases. All it took was a few plague-infected fleas from Central Asia to start the chain reaction of death and terror.
The Black Death Sean Kelly HIS 103 Mr. Durr The Black Death and English Society The Black Death resulted not only in the widespread panic and death that we usually associate with it, but it also created tremendous changes in English society. This was especially noticeable among the peasantry not just because it caused widespread starvation and a massive disruption in agriculture, but also because it changed the entire medieval economy resulting in higher wages despite government edicts and regulations meant to prevent such. The Black Death is a phrase, and name, that brings to mind pain, panic, human suffering, and death. It raced across Europe killing thousands if not millions. It crossed all age and affluence boundaries it