Christopher
Columbus:
520 years since his New World
discovery
Brittany Yanof
EDTC 3771
11:00-11:50am MWF
9/14/2012
Christopher Columbus:
Points to be discussed:
1.
Introduction to
Columbus’ legacy
2.
Alfred W. Crosby’s view
of Columbus’ voyages
3.
Significant exchanges as
a result of Columbus’
voyages
4.
Conclusion
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Christopher Columbus:
Introduction:
Although Christopher Columbus began
sailing at age 14, his voyage that began on August
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Christopher Columbus:
3, 1492 would change the course of history. He
originally set out to find a new passage to Asia,
based on the belief that the world was round. He
would never find the direct route he was seeking
due to stumbling upon a “New World” along the
way. “Though he did not really ‘discover’ the New
World—millions of people already lived there—his
journeys marked the beginning of centuries of
trans-Atlantic conquest and colonization”
(Christopher Columbus, 2012). For this reason, it’s
not surprising that Columbus’ legacy mixed with
reverence and disdain.
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Christopher Columbus:
According to Alfred W.
Crosby:
Alfred W. Crosby was a historian that would
eventually change the way many looked at
Columbus’ legacy. Crosby wrote a book entitled
The Columbian Exchange in 1972 which examined
the ecological and biological ramifications of
Columbus’ voyages (Gambino, 2011). In his book,
Crosby describes how “Columbus brought them
together, and almost immediately and continually
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Christopher Columbus:
ever since, we have had an exchange of native
plants, animals and diseases moving back and
forth across the oceans between the two worlds”
(Gambino, 2011). Some of these exchanges were
helpful and improved the overall quality of lives;
however, some cause great devastation.
Most significant exchanges:
Examination of the map in photo 2 will show
a more detailed list of things that were exchanged
with some being more important than others, but
the following are the two most important exchanges
that resulted.
Positive exchange: Horses
Horses as we know them today didn’t exist
in America when Columbus first arrived; they were
introduced from Europe. Horses would prove to be
indispensable to the Native American’s way of life
once Europeans began to push them out of their
lands. Horses were used for things such as pulling
plows, hunting bison, and gave advantage during
warfare over those on foot. The article by Taylor
(2012) will provide further details about the benefit
of horses being introduced to America.
Negative exchange: Small Pox
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Christopher Columbus:
When Crosby was asked how small groups
of invaders from Europe could wipe out so many
Indian empires, he points out “the army and, just
generally speaking, the people of the Indian
empires were just decimated by such diseases as
smallpox, malaria, all kinds of infectious diseases”
(Gambino, 2011). These types of diseases were
common in Europe; however, those in the Americas
had no natural immunity to fight them off.
“Breathing in the invisible virus particles from an
infected person's sneeze or cough spread the
smallpox virus from person to person” (Small Pox,
2012). With the ease of transmission, small pox
was able to wipe out entire empires as it spread.
Conclusion:
Columbus’ voyages to the Americas almost
never happened. He had to struggle to find
someone to finance the expedition, ships, and a
crew willing to sail into the then unknown. There
are many mixed opinions about Christopher
Columbus and the resulting aftermath, but one
thing that everyone can agree on is that his
voyages changed the course of history.
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Christopher Columbus:
References
Gambino, Megan. (Oct. 5, 2011). Alfred W.
Crosby on the Columbian Exchange.
Smithsonian.com. Retrieved from http://
www.smithsonianmag.com/historyarchaeology/Alfred-W-Crosby-on-theColumbian-Exchange.html.
N. A. (2012). Christopher Columbus. A & E
Television Networks, LLC. Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/topics/christophercolumbus.
N. A. (2012). Small Pox and the New World. In
Science Clarified, Chapter 2: Early
Discoveries. Retrieved from http://www.
scienceclarified.com/scitech/Bacteria
-and-Viruses/Early-Discoveries.html#b
Taylor, Dan. (2012). The Effects the Horse had on
Native American People. Demand Media,
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Christopher Columbus:
Inc. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/
info_8621506_effects-horse-native
american-people.html
Photos
Photo 1. Christopher Columbus (personally
edited). (2012). Original retrieved from
http://www.biography.com/people/christoph
er-columbus-9254209
Photo 2. The Columbian Exchange (personally
edited). (2012). Original retrieved from
http://www.glogster.com/sjsl/columbianexchange/g-6ncq0a4k8bdlptkmb29h3a0
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