Readings:
Taylor (chaps. 3-5) 63 pp.
Cronon, Changes in the Land (preface; chaps. 1-2) 37 pp.
Points of Entry:
Articles on Columbus Day monuments:
Library of Congress Exhibit:
National Humanities Center "Columbian Exchange" website:
Questions:
How do you think Alan Taylor and William Cronon view the Columbian Exchange? What do they say about the movement of goods, people, and ideas?
I think that Alan Taylor viewed the Columbian Exchange as a mutual exchange between the two groups. Afro-Eurasians brought new technologies, animals, languages and deadly microbes. The Native Americans exchanged crops and farming techniques as well as animal skins, jewelry, and precious metals and gems. Alan Taylor does not have a Eurocentric view of the Columbian Exchange, and I think that is a good thing. Although some people may think of Native Americans as "primitive" compared to the Afro-Eurasians, it is very important to realize that their culture had valuable items and knowledge to offer to the Afro-Eurasians. Without Native Ameicans, Afro-Eurasians may have had a very hard time adapting to the new and unfamiliar American terrain. - Zach Stark
ReplyDelete(Posted by Matt Wiley):
ReplyDeleteThe New World was both new for the native and conquerers because it changed the way of life. It made trading much more important in that it gave people a new status without the old society. Natives found many opportunities.
Both Taylor and Cronon discuss the Columbian Exchange and some of its negative effects on the Native societies and the benefits for the European colonists. Each author observes that the European colonists found a practically deserted land from prior diseases that spread due to foreign European microbes that came with earlier expeditions to the Americas. Taking advantage of the emptied land the Europeans made changes in the land to fit their needs and production of food would eventually lead to increase in the population.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Alan Taylor portrayed the Columbian Exchange as something that was both a positive and negative thing . Like Zach previously stated the Afro-Eurasians did bring new technologies, animals, etc. and the Natives gave back Animal Skins, jewelry, and precious metals. Those were the ways that Taylor showed the positives of how goods were exchanged. The negatives, I feel were put in a larger context when he talks about virus that came with the Afro-Eurasins and the animals brought along on the journey. Thousands of Natives were killed by the viruses brought by the Settlers. Another thing that i feel Taylor has put in some sort of negative view was the way that religion is portrayed. The reason I think he sees it as a negative is because if the natives were not willing to convert to Christianity some of the "religious" Conquistadors would end up killing them if the viruses didn't get to them first. It was either Christianity or nothing else.
ReplyDeleteI think they would both view the "exchange" as a give and take from all societies involved. They both write from a point of view of this time being just as important to the Natives as it was to the Europeans. I also think they feel that it was a world changing event not just this one region. It has changed the lifestyles of everyone involved as well as the environment, thr religions and economies of the world. I think that Cronan writes not from one side or the other but from a point of view of seeing the changes on the environment from all human impact.
ReplyDelete