The Colombian Exchange did more harm than it did good because new technology was used for killing and war, some new animals were invasive and diseased, and killer diseases spread through the new world like wildfire, only deadlier.

When the explorers came to America, how did the Native Americans react to the new technology, plants, and animals?

Although they didn't care for European foods, and we're not too fond of the
their diseases, animals such as horses were eagerly accepted from the east by Native Americans. They also traded for guns, which was a great tool in their hunter-gatherer society. They also used guns for war to fight equally against settlers and with a great advantage over enemy tribes.

What were some diseases from Europe, and why were they so deadly to the Natives?

Europeans had been living with diseases like smallpox and the black plague for a long time, and were resistant to those diseases. The Natives had never encountered all these new diseases, and their bodies had no special resistance to these deadly diseases. Disease, not war, was the leading factor in the downfall of empires like the Aztecs and Incas. Diseases like measles, mumps, typhus, influenza, smallpox, Black Plague, and whooping cough were a major factor in the 90% population decrease of the first Americans in just the first 150 years of exploration of the new world.

WHAT DISEASES WENT WEST TO EAST?

Very few diseases went from the Americas to Europe. The Americas no doubt got the worst of the disease exchange. A couple of west-to-east diseases are treponematoses and tuberculosis, but Europeans were used to disease, and these few new ones had little effect.

What are some common plants and animals here that originally came from Europe?

When the explorers came, there were few domesticated or farm animals and beasts of burden. The Native Americans domesticated dogs, and their alpacas and llamas could carry around 35 pounds, but that's about it. Explorers and settlers brought with them pigs, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, chickens and other old world animals to the new world. Diseased black rats also came by stowing away on ships and spread the black plague. There were many crops and vegetables in the Americas, so Europeans knew the soil was farmable. Some plants brought from Europe are rice, wheat, barley, turnips, chickweed, dandelions, sow thistle, sugar, and many more. Lots of these animals and plants either spread disease or were invasive.

What were some positive effects of the Columbian Exchange?

While hundreds of thousands died because of it, the Columbian Exchange had many good outcomes as well. Native Americans got superior weapons and and horses to ride, and many north and south American fruits and vegetables became popular in the Old World. More settlers moved to the New World, which was much more spacious than the crowded cities of England, France and Spain. The Columbian Exchange was ruined by poor disease control.

The Columbian Exchange would have been beneficial for both sides of the explorers had used better disease control. Many ideas, technology, animals, and plants were shared, but dozens of tribes, civilizations, and empires were torn apart and destroyed due to diseases and war, their history and secrets lost forever.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Crosby, Alfred W. "The Columbian Exchange." The Columbian Exchange. The Gilder Lehrman institute of American history, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2015. .
• McNeill, J.R. "5.1 The Columbian Exchange." The Columbian Exchange. LEARN North Carolina, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2015. .
• Alfred W. "The Columbian Exchange, Native Americans and the Land, Nature Transformed, TeacherServe, National Humanities Center." The Columbian Exchange, Native Americans and the Land, Nature Transformed, TeacherServe, National Humanities Center. N.p., Dec. 2001. Web. 26 Oct. 2015. .
• Malone, Cory, Sarah Gray, Sean Ross, and Katie Ryan. "Technology." Technology. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2015. .