Hannah+Sheehan

Life as we know it in America could have gone two different ways. One, Columbus comes and life is exactly the same for us, and nothing changes. Two, Columbus never comes and then where would we be? When Columbus came to the America’s he brought with him a whole new world. The Europeans introduced new plants, animals and diseases to the unsuspecting Native Americans. Even though those diseases’s killed ninety percent of the population, they still survived, now even stronger with the immunities that they needed. Europeans brought with them animals that the Natives had ever seen, like horses and cattle, which gave them a bigger advantage on life. These animals provided a much easier way of transportation and a steady source of meat that was big enough to support more than a couple people. The cattle also produced milk that provided other sources of nutrients. The crops that were brought from Europe were plentiful, and provided many other meal options for the Natives. These options not only introduced tons of different ways to use things but they also helped the Natives have a steady source of food no matter if they had meat or not. People will say that they Columbian Exchange was horrible and that we would have been better off without it. But there are many things that we wouldn’t have in this country today that contradict that statement to the fullest. In all reality the exchange was the best thing to come, it made this country stronger than it ever would have been on its own.