Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Exchange implies that there is roughly an equal benefit from the parties derived.
The indigenous people certainly didn't benefit as much from that exchange, and that's putting it mildly.
The Columbian exchange doesnt imply anything. Its simply a historic fact. Including the exchange of diseases. To claim that Columbus discovery wasnt that important is totally absurd. What people consider staple food and traditional diets in Africa and Asia and Europe is to a large extent the result of Columbus' voyage which changed the world forever.
The Amerindians were not victims of European genocide - it was their diseases that cleared them out.
For example, the Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana, the 16th century explorer who was the first European to traverse the Amazon River, reported densely populated regions, with extensive agriculture, running hundreds of kilometers along the river, suggesting population levels exceeding even those of today.
But later explorers found the region depopulated, a jungle rainforest, and the culture reduced to stone age implements. His stories were disbelieved for hundreds of years.
Only recently, archaeologists discovered evidence of a mighty civilization that vanished shortly after the arrival of Orellana.
Eurasian diseases are the major suspects.
Coincidentally, Orellana's reports of extensive agriculture in the Amazon watershed overturn the "Green" belief that the rainforest should be sacrosanct from development.
(See "Terra preta" for more info) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_de_Orellana https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_preta
Of course, the LEFTISTS must denigrate and destroy past heroes, so it can replace their "traditional" example with new socialist ideology. That's how you destroy an idea - replace it with something else.
There's no way a civilization without basic stuff like wheels, metal tools or domesticated animals can have anywhere close to the population density of today.
"As an America" you celebrate the Latino "Dia de la Raza", which some States adopted in as Columbus Day. It means "the day of the race" aka "day of Latin people".
But why not, It is a good example of how multi-cultural we have become. I suppose some embrace it more than others.
Significant enough to warrant being known, but not a person to celebrate.
So as a Chicano you do realize Columbus is equally important to your own country as it is to ours, right? Mexico also wouldn't exist if not for Columbus' voyages to America. In fact your language that is so important to your cultural identity was only brought here by Columbus. As a Mexican you ought to really acknowledge the impact of his discovery of the New World, of which your own nation is a part of just like ours is.
I've seen that argument dozens of times and it's pretty much the stupidest argument ever.
The argument is that, the fact that American Indians slaughtered each other makes Columbus' intrusion acceptable.
If that's their argument, then we can justify just about any intrusion anywhere at any time, because just about everybody everywhere had slaughtered each other at one time or another.
Maybe if the Chinese ever invaded and took over Europe, we could use that argument and say, "It's all OK, because the Europeans spent centuries slaughtering each other anyway."
He was one of the absolute greatest explorers of all time which completely changed the entire world. The rest of the world didnt have stuff like potatoes, tomatoes, cacao and corn before Columbus while the New World didnt have stuff like horses, domesticated pigs and cows, bananas, wheat, coffee and rice. This exchange was of huge importance for the entire world and lead to big increases in populations.
In other words, you prefer to remain ignorant and to entertain your own fantasies. Even Columbus himself didn’t believe what you claimed.
We can't judge a historical figure based on today's standards. Back then, conquest was how borders were drawn. The Indian tribes fought each other for territory. The Aztecs and Mayans were large powerful empires that conquered their neighbors. The Europeans simply were more powerful and had better technology hence their ability to rout the natives in battle both in the present US and the Spanish colonies to the south.
I won't be surprised if pretty soon the liberals and Democrats will refuse to honor anyone from the past who was against gay marriage and government funded sex change operations.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
