The “Colombian Exchange” was the biological and cultural consequences of the European immigration to America. While the exchange started with the first settlers and explorers that visited North America the main effects began when Columbus brought his ships containing livestock, plants and settlers to the new world. This exchange changed both continents however American culture was affected more drastically. The Indians treated the colonists with respect offering food, clothing and advice to them, while the colonists viewed the Indians as ignorant savages or an unsophisticated child-like society.
The European colonists were unable to view the culture of the Native Americans as a viable culture with its own sophistication. They viewed the lack of cities, clothing, and their perceived lack of religion as the proof that the Indians were either noble savages or innocent children that be turned into an adequate labor force. It was also believed that because they had no apparent religion that they could easily be converted to Christianity. The conflicting views of the Europeans illustrate the lack of understanding the colonists had for the huge diversity of cultures, customs, and languages of the various tribes occupying North America.
The Indians on the other hand while dismissive of the colonists assisted them when they were in need. They offered supplies and advice on how to thrive in their new environment. They did not believe that the individuals from Europe were better then they were and found no need to change the structure of their societies to become more similar to them. The fractured societies that were consistently fighting with each other, the lack of generosity and their covetous nature were proof to the Indians that the colonist’s way of life was not superior to the Indian culture.
The European colonists changed the landscape of America. They cut down forests to plant fields, allowed some of their livestock to run wild scaring away local game and destroyed fields planted by the Indians. Some of the Indians were taken to Europe as either ambassadors or prisoners. While transporting individuals across the ocean was not an economic feasible plan it was easier to transport food and it became the main export from the new colonies. The food was then incorporated into the various cultures becoming staple products that are still a major element used in food today. Several examples are tomatoes in Italian cooking as well as corn and potatoes in other European dishes.
Unfortunately for the Indians they had no defenses against the most deadly aspect of the European colonization. The colonists unintentionally brought diseases with them that the Indians lacked the antibodies to fight. The introduction of smallpox, plague, chicken pox and influenza decimated the populations and in many cases preceded the arrival of the colonists to an area. As the diseases traveled across the countryside the estimated death toll was 90% of the Indian population. When the colonists arrived in a new area they were greeted by the survivors of the diseases and the ruins of their culture.
The survivors of the tribes were no longer in a strong position that would have allowed them to protect their way of life. The colonists either not realizing the effect that their illnesses had on the Native Americans or exploiting that advantage caused massive damage to their societies in a very short period of time through the number of deaths and the effects that their loss had on the various tribes. The methods used by the colonists to gain items for trade, land for farming or other resources depended on which country they settlers arrived from. The French were interested in the fur trade, the Spanish in converting the indigenous cultures to Christianity combined with the search for gold and the English were interested in expanding their empire.
The French focus on the fur trade created one of the best relationships with the native tribes. The French would trade European goods such as cloth or weapons and the Indians would trap the beavers required for trade. To create this working relationship young French man would live among the various tribes learning the language, culture, and customs in order to make alliances with the local tribes to receive the best fur. The increased demand for the fur trade caused various tribes to compete with each other in order provide the most furs. This led to the eventual depopulation of beavers in several areas and the increased conflicts between different tribes of Indians. The introduction of the gun to Indian culture created unfair advantages among the tribes. The original weapons were unreliable; however, they possessed a lethal advantage over the bows and arrows of traditional Indian warfare.
The Indian tribes eventually started making alliances with Dutch traders to gain access to more guns further adding to the fur trade. The increased demand for the beaver furs combined with the dwindling supply increased the tensions among the various tribes resulting in increased conflicts ending in the destruction of various tribes in the quest for increased furs, guns, and supplies. The French also had Jesuit priests working with the Indians of the Huron tribe in an attempt to convert them to Christianity. The French never resorted to the practice of forced conversion through many did convert. The missionaries while focusing on the conversions created divisions in the tribes that were based on social and political lines.
The French’s impact on the Indians lasted well past their colonies. The relationships that were formed with some of the tribes that they associated with were based on consistent mediation while other tribes resisted the advances of the French and their desire for fur pelts resulting in war. The increased ties formed by commercial and religious exchanges and Frances desire for furs rather then land appeared to the Indians as their best chance of resisting the English and maintaining their lands. This created the setting for the eventual Indian involvement with the war between France and England in the 18th century.
The Spanish colonist’s mission was two-fold. They were looking for increased wealth specifically gold and the opportunity to spread the teachings of Christianity. The Iberian Peninsula had been under the rule of Moslems for several generations and once the peninsula had been returned to Christian rule the Spanish sought to expand their empire. The Spanish had settlements originally in the Caribbean specifically in Cuba and Hispaniola. These colonies frustrated the Spanish because of the lack of wealth that they provided the Spanish nation. In the quest for more wealth fueled with stories of riches on the mainland led to the Spanish acquisition of Mexico which resulted in the destruction of many native civilizations and the establishment of the first European empire in America.
Through the centuries of fighting to regain control of the peninsula a generation of young Spanish nobles seeking an increased supply of infidels to convert was created. In order to make the conquest of a new tribe legal through the rules of the empire and the church they were required to read in Spanish a document prepared by the Pope in which the natives were given the opportunity to convert to Christianity or be destroyed. Since the document was not understood by the Indians no conversation could be established and the Spanish used it to conquer their lands without guilt.
The English had expanded their reach since the Middle Ages with the expansion into Scotland, Wales, and across the Irish Sea. The policies that the English established to negotiate with the Indians ended up setting precedents for future United States and Indian relations. While those polices were being set; the Indians were facing times of increased tensions and hostilities eventually leading to the intensifying pressures on Indian lands eventually giving way to warfare.
The English first settled in Jamestown VA establishing the first colony in North America. The settlers were not equipped to survive in the new conditions of North America and half of the settlers died. Early in the colonies history the Powhaten chief attempted to integrate the English into his assortment of tribes by participating in a ritual in which Smith could have been adopted and become a subordinate chieftain. The ritual was misinterpreted and rather then decreasing the tensions between the two cultures tensions continued to increase. While the various cultures interacted in different ways with the various Indian cultures, the decimation of the tribes through disease, warfare and cultural differences resulted in the fragmentation of the tribes and the eventual destruction of the Indian way of life.