The Lasting Effects of the Columbian Exchange During the Age of Discove

The Lasting Effects of the Columbian Exchange During the Age of DiscoveryIt should no longer stimulate as any great surprise that Columbus was not the first to acquire the Americas--Carthaginians, Vikings, and fifty-fifty St. Brendan may have set foot on the occidental Hemisphere long before Columbus crossed the Atlantic. But none of these incidental contacts made the impact that Columbus did. Columbus and company were wince to bring more than the benefits of Christianity and double entry bookkeeping to America. His voyages started the Columbian Exchange, a hemispherical swap of peoples, seeds, animals and diseases that transformed not only the world he had discovered but also the one he had left.The Old and raw Worlds had been separated for millions of years before this voyage (except for periodic reconnections in the further north during the Ice Ages). This period of separation resulted in great species discrimination and evolvement. There were still many similar speci es, such as cervid and elm, but Europe had nothing like hummingbirds, rattlesnakes, and hickory and pe bathroom trees. The differences were even greater in the southern hemispheres the biggest mammal in Africa was the elephant, and the biggest mammal in South America was the cow-sized tapir. Both of these environmental systems struggled for a delicate sentience of balance and homeostasis-- but their collision in 1492 began a whole young time of competition and struggle for dominance. The environmental impact of such a collision is enormous and should be looked at as part of our fellow feeling of the Age of Discovery.PLANTSThomas Jefferson once said that, The greatest service which can be rendered to any country is to add a useful plant to its culture. By this standard, Col... ...opened new windows to science and to all knowledge. The results of the Columbian Exchange come with mixed feelings, owing to the degree of death and slavery that such a clash of natures caused. But whatever the outcome of the two worlds re-uniting, the Exchange was a major event in the process of discovery.Suggested ReadingsCrosby, Alfred W. The Columbus Voyages, the Columbian Exchange, and Their Historians Essays on Global and ComparitiveHistory. Washington, D.C.American Historical Association,1987.---. The Voyages of Columbus A Turning identify in World History. Bloomington, IN ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education, 1989.Patrick, whoremaster J. Columbus in the Curriculum Ideas andResources for Teachers of History in Elementary and auxiliarySchools. International Journal of Social Education. 7.1