Braden+Curtland

Braden Curtland World History Mr. Karlsson Period 7 The Columbian Exchange: For the Better When it comes to the Columbian Exchange, there are mixed opinions about the topic. There are arguments that support the idea that the Columbian Exchange had a positive effect, and there are those that argue the opposite. The way I see it, the Columbian Exchange, for the most part, was a positive event in our history. While it is true that there were also negative things that came as a result of the Columbian Exchange, the positive results are more in number than the negative ones. First off, there were things such as items and resources. During the Columbian Exchange, it was discovered that the Americas contained resources that in the long-run, proved to be very valuable: natural abundance. The abundance of plants and food was so overwhelming that many plants and other resources were brought back to the Old World, such as corn, pumpkins, tomatoes, and potatoes. The discovery of the natural abundance in the New World proved to be beneficial, as we probably wouldn’t have many of these plants and resources today, had it not been for the discovery of natural abundance. Next, there were things such as diseases and illnesses. There were exchanges of diseases between both the New and Old Worlds, the more noteworthy one being syphilis. While it may be true that this is viewed as a negative impact, there was a positive side to it. Due to the outbreaks of these diseases, the populations of both the Europeans and Native Americans were affected and decreased. However, if we think about it, a lot of those diseases are either very rare or not heard of anymore. This is so because we have built immunities to these diseases. Had it not been for the outbreaks back then, we would not have built immunities to those diseases today. Many argue that the Columbian Exchange was negative mostly due to deforestation. However, while it is true that there was a lot of deforestation in the Americas, it is also true that America was changed in positive ways. New trees were brought over to the New World to replace those that were carelessly wiped away, such as fig, peach, pear, and plum trees. Along with new trees, things such as animals and the European Bee were brought over to the New World which proved to be beneficial, especially the European Bee, which pollinated everything. In the end, the Columbian Exchange can be viewed as either a positive thing or a negative thing. The way I see it, the positive things that we got from the Columbian Exchange outweigh the negative ones. We got more out of the Columbian Exchange than we lost. Based on this, it is safe to say that the Columbian Exchange overall had more of a positive impact on the world that we live in today.