2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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 The British, French and Spanish all
slavery to the Americas forcing Africans grew sugar cane in the new world
from their homes and into 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.
7. 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.
8. Works Cited
•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)>.
•The Columbian Exchange: The Age Of Discovery. AMG and
Baseline, 2010. DVD
