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Aletta Fischer
Ms. Burke
Honors World History
7 November 2016
How European exploration and colonization affected society.

The time of European exploration and colonization could be seen as a turning point for

the Americas. It was a time of positive change for the Europeans and not so positive change for

the Native Americans. This period of time affected society greatly and changed the way people

lived their lives. How did it affect society? European exploration and colonization of the

Americas affected society by introducing the Columbian Exchange, starting violent wars with the

native people, and bringing over deadly diseases.

The Columbian Exchange was a trading system between Europe and the Americas that

introduced new culture, diseases, and goods to the New World. Some examples of the goods

brought over to the Americas are bananas, livestock, coffee beans, sugarcane, wheat, peaches,

and grapes. In exchange, the Americas would give Europe things like beans, chocolate, peanuts,

tobacco, pumpkins, and turkeys. In addition to the profitable goods that were traded, many

diseases were spread as well. Smallpox, Influenza, Typhus, Measles, Malaria, Diphtheria, and

Whooping Cough were all introduced to the New World. The crops and livestock that were

brought over from Europe helped the population in the New World increase. The Columbian

Exchange was important because these diseases that were brought over killed large numbers of

Native Americans - who were forced to work as slaves. It also made the world more diverse and

cultured.
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The Native Americans were not happy whenever the Europeans came to their land, so

they began fighting back. This started violent wars between the natives and the Europeans. The

Europeans had much more advanced weaponry and technology than the native people and were

victorious against them. They continued moving westward. The natives continued to fight back,

but the population began to plummet drastically. More and more Native Americans were being

killed off by disease and war. The more the natives fought back, the more their population

decreased. The Europeans were ruthless and saw them as slaves, therefore did not care about

what happened to them for any reason other than the fact that they were their workers.

Along with the European colonizers came many diseases. These diseases started to

weaken and kill many Native Americans. New World conquests and trade routes affected the

native people, since they were exposed to new pathogens and foreign domesticated animals. The

death tolls from these diseases were often 80-90 percent. The entire Native American population

was dying off very quickly. Looking at the health of the Native Americans before colonization,

they were rather healthy. Some might say that they were even healthier than the Europeans. This

is believed to be because they had better diets and were not likely to die from starvation or

hunger, and they did not have many infectious diseases before the time of the Europeans. No one

in an Indian tribe starved unless the entire population did as well. They looked out for one

another and gave their extra food to those who needed it. It is also believed that the Native

Americans did not have all the illnesses and diseases of the Europeans because of their lack of

domesticated animals. The native people were once a healthy population. This changed very

quickly, thanks to the Europeans.

These things did not just affect the people back then, they are still in affect now. People

sometimes do not realize how much society has been influenced over the years. European
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exploration and colonization made a big impact on society and helped America become what it is

today by introducing the Columbian Exchange, starting violent wars with the natives, and

bringing over deadly diseases.

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Works Cited

"Colonialism and the Spread of Diseases - Boundless Open Textbook." Boundless. N.p., n.d.

Web. 09 Nov. 2016.

"The Columbian Exchange: An Overview | Scholastic.com." Scholastic Teachers. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.

Crosby, Alfred W. "The Columbian Exchange." The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American

History. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.

Ojibwa. "Native American Netroots." Native American Netroots. N.p., 28 Dec. 2009. Web. 09

Nov. 2016.