Adam Smith asserted that the discovery of America, together with the global trade routes was a significant factor in human's history. One of his major points was that the discovery of America had immense effects on the economic welfare of Europe. All the countries in Europe were subsequently impacted thus resulting in three categories of nations. The first group involved the countries that directly traded with America. The second category involved countries whose goods accessed America through intermediaries. The third group of countries is those whose goods did not reach America but were however affected in one way or the other by America. The discovery of America revolutionized trade promoting economic growth in other countries, especially in Europe, which resorted to increasing their production following the emergence of a newly formed target market from which they could import as well as export products.
Old and New World Changes
The Need for Human Labor
The Old World did not only comprise of Europe but the Eastern Hemisphere in its entirety. The Columbian Exchange was as a result of Christopher Columbus’ successful voyage and the discovery of America in 1492 (Nunn, & Qian, 2010). As such, there was a massive exchange of human populations, diseases, animals, and ideas across the Old and the new world. One of the demands that came up was the increased demand for human labor. For the society to remain stable, the old and new worlds had to exchange human labor to ensure that work continued in the fields and raw materials were processed. The Europeans in America were in dire need of labor because there lacked sufficient human laborers to work in the colonies and to ensure that they kept going.
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Augmentation of the Trade Industry
The Columbian Exchange further created a platform where goods could be exchanged between the Americas and Europe. Some of these products include plants, animals, and produce. The Columbus's voyage eventually bore fruits and enabled the exchange of goods between the New World and the Old World. Some of the goods that emanated from Europe to America include bananas, chicken, coffee, barley, cabbages, pigs, horses, sugarcane, and peas amongst others. Form America to Europe included avocados, chili peppers, papayas, peanuts, turkeys, tobacco, vanilla beans, and cotton amongst others (Nunn, & Qian, 2010).
Access to Unique Commodities from America
As earlier noted, the Columbian Exchange involves the exchange of ideas, food, populations, crops, and even diseases between America and Europe. Although the exchange was two-way, there are unique goods that the Europeans countries could only get from the New World. The supply of metals was perhaps the best documented material acquired from America. The Old World also got new crops from America including potatoes, maize, sweet potatoes, cassava, and maize. Other unique products acquired from the New World also included chili peppers, tomatoes, peanuts, cacao, and pineapples amongst others. Another major crop that Europe acquired as a result of the Columbian Exchange was tobacco which came to spread to many areas of the world.
Groups Affected By the Discovery of America
Native Americans
The discovery of America had a toll on the lives of the native Indian communities that lived in America. They were driven away from their lands with others getting compelled to live under the colonial rule established by the British. The deeply enriched culture was eroded as some were forced to adopt the European culture which was unfamiliar to them. Nevertheless, there was a group of Native Americans who conformed to the new way of life.
Slaves
The development of an agricultural economy between the New and Old led to the need for human labor. The European colonialists traversed Africa in search of slaves to work in the plantation farms to eventually improve trade between the two worlds. Hardy (2014) asserted that the use of slaves in the New World, therefore, intensified the Europeans invasion of Africa thereby bring hundreds of thousands of slaves who engaged in hard labor for meager pay. The institution of slavery created a new paradigm shift characterized by class differences in the society with the slaves occupying the lowest class.
European Settlers
The European settlers were mainly on the receiving end in the wake of the discovery of the New World. They took control of the Native Americas and pushed them out of their lands. However, they borrowed several aspects including their culture and mannerism. An example of the practice in which they borrowed from the natives was their food culture. According to Park, Hongu, and Daily (2016), the European settlers showed great amazement and interest in the cuisine held by the Native Americans and went ahead to integrate them as part of their culture.
Asian Traders
As earlier intimated, Adam Smith noted that the discovery of America was essential for Europe and yonder lands in Asia and Africa. The discovery of America and the subsequent discovery of products was a huge incentive for the expansion of the Asian Market. The Asians primarily used the sea transport to access the American market. Furthermore, they also shipped slaves to America using the same route.
Roman Catholics
The New World presented the Christian missionaries with an accessible population which they could spread their Christian doctrines. Due to the increased distress especially amongst the low-class, many people could easily embrace Christianity as a source of hope.
Effects of New Global Trade Routes
Adoption of the Bible as a Religious Tool
As earlier noted, the British were at the forefront in introducing Christianity to America. The people living in the colonies were compelled to strictly regard the Bible as a religious tool which would become effectively used once they became Christians.
Growth of Literacy
The introduction of the Bible was regarded as one of the early signs of imparting literacy amongst the people living in the colonies especially the Native Americans who had to learn English. Voget (1956) noted that this was in tandem with the Europeans demands that the Native Americans conform to their way of life. Learning of English was deemed essential because of easier communication.
The emergence of Social Classes
The emergence of trade created social hierarchies in the society never seen before. Hardy (2014) further emphasized that the institution of slavery played a significant role in cementing the social classes in the society. Trade ensured that people acquired wealth leading to wealthy individuals who as a result respected each other.
Exposure to New Diseases
The Columbian Exchange was also notorious for the spread of new diseases. According to Nunn and Qiann (2010), the New World experienced new diseases including smallpox, syphilis, measles, and whooping cough amongst others. As such, those who lived in the New World had to develop strategies to ensure that they treated the illnesses by inventing new medicines. Thus, the field of medicine became even broader during this era.
Change in Culture
The development of global trade routes among the continents involved led to the interaction of people from the New and Old Worlds. According to Dalal (2011), the global trade routes enhanced interactions between the two worlds leading to cultural exchange. The domination by the Europeans forced the Native Americans to sell their land, which had deep spiritual value. As such, Voget (1956) asserted that it caused them to abandon a culture they had held on for years slowly.
In conclusion, the discovery of America and the discovery of the trade routes is perhaps one of the iconic moments in the history of the world. The Columbian Exchange was at the center of international relations between the New World and the Old World which subsequently opened up markets through trade. It also implicated the social life of the people with the emergence of Christianity, slavery, and social classes amongst others.
References
Dalal, N. (2011). The impact of colonial contact on the cultural heritage of Native American Indian people. The UCLan Journal of Undergraduate Research, 4 (2). Retrieved from https://www.uclan.ac.uk/courses/assets/rcs-dalal.pdf
Hardy, W. (2014). Riches & misery: The consequences of the Atlantic slave trade. Retrieved from http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/riches-misery-the-consequences-the-atlantic-slave-trade
Nunn, N., & Qian, N. (2010). The Columbian Exchange: A History of Disease, Food, and Ideas. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 24 (2), 163-188.
Park, S., Hongu, N., & Daily, J. W. (2016). Native American foods: History, culture, and influence on modern diets. Journal of Ethnic Foods,3 (3), 171-177. doi:10.1016/j.jef.2016.08.001
Voget, F. (1956). The American Indian in transition: Reformation and accommodation. American Anthropologist, 58 , 249-262.
