As a direct result of Columbus’ influence in the region, a new era of international trade was fostered. Known as the Columbian exchange, it was the new mass migration of people, animals, religion, and disease between the new and old worlds. Continents isolated from one another by oceans were now connected. Europeans brought things never seen in the Americas before like horses and poultry, while carrying back home dietary staples like corn and tomatoes that kept populations alive during hard times in Europe. The advent of the Columbian exchange launched an old world globalization that saw the entire world become accessible, it also speaks to the true legacy of …show more content…
The most famous statement ever made about Columbus, it serves to herald a celebration of someone who, by historical accounts, isn’t the hero of American history he is portrayed to be. Probably a victim of circumstance – if it hadn’t been him then it most certainly would have been someone else - the results of his expeditions changed the world. His impact felt far and wide, Columbus can easily be credited, though not intentionally, with initiating the demise of the Native American population, and facilitating the rise of one of America’s darkest hours, the slave trade. He doubled the size of the world and left the Americas forever changed. While judgement could be, and maybe should be, passed on Columbus for his behavior in his personal ambitions, the magnitude of his impact on human history can never be