The Influence of the Columian Exchange throughout North America Research Paper

The Influence of the Columian Exchange throughout North America leading up to the Revolutionary War - Research Paper Example Europeans started this contact and habitually decided its terms. For Africans and Native Americans, their life in America was to be steeped in tragedy for the next three centuries. Disease The most devastating consequences of the lengthy isolation of the American continent were to be biological. Africans, Asians and Europeans had been exposed to each other’s maladies for centuries because they frequently came into contact with each other through trade practices (Peabody and Grinberg, 2007). By 1500, these three ethnic groups had acquired immune systems that moderately protected them from most illnesses. Native Americans, who remained unexposed to other ethnic groups, were larger in body size and healthier than Columbus and his co-partners in 1492, when the two groups first met (McNeill, 2012). However, their long isolation from other ethnicities meant that their bodies had no immunity against the diseases that other ethnic groups quickly mastered. European and African maladies would soon begin ravaging the American Indian tribes. Smallpox quickly became the largest killer, even though influenza and measles also decimated huge populations of American Indians. The native population of Mexico, for example, was approximately 17 million, when in 1519 Cortes and his men reached the land (McNeill, 2012). A century later, there were less than a million natives remaining in Mexico, simply as a result of communicable diseases. It has been estimated that the entire Native American population was reduced by 90 percent within the first 100 years after European travelers first reached the American shores. This fact hugely contributed to the subsequent European domination of the continent. The Introduction of Food Crops One of the few advantages of the Columbian Exchange era was the exchange of knowledge of different crops between different ethnic groups. Prior to the Columbian Exchange, there had been no potatoes cultivated in Europe (Hughes, 2003). The Columbian Exch ange also hugely expanded the scale of the production of some well-liked drugs as well as crops such as sugar, coffee and tobacco use to many Europeans (Crosby, 2008). In the next few centuries potatoes would grow to be a major ingredient of Russian Vodka and the staple food in Ireland (Hughes, 2003). Chocolate, a plant only previously grown in the Americas, soon became a favorite in Europe. Plants like peanuts and maize were also transported to Africa by Portuguese. These robust crops could be cultivated in arid regions that hardly sustained any other type of edible plants (Hall, 2003). There are many historians who believe that the introduction of maize in Africa resulted in an increase in population. Before Columbus reached the American shores in 1492, the Americas had many different domesticated crops such as cassava, maize (corn), squashes, potatoes and different types of beans. Other plants that were less actively cultivated included papaya, sweet potato, avocado, pineapple, t omato, guava, chili peppers, peanuts, and cacao (McNeill, 2012). In spite of maize’s success in readapting to the African climate, the potato did not do as well in Africa. The potato would have a stronger impact in developing the Eurasian populations (Bond,

Readings In Social Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Readings In Social Science - Essay Example Through adapting these works toward the social commentary of the day, we find that in the same article of work by The Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy is that â€Å"Mill's defense of the view that we ought to pursue happiness because we do pursue happiness, has been the object of savage attack by, among others, F. H. Bradley in his Ethical Studies 1874 and G. E. Moore in Principia Ethica 1903.† This would be aptly served by the situation of today’s social policies in that it seems quite apparent in how his insight many years ago would have been a service to those governing today. â€Å"But others have argued that on this particular point, Mill was misinterpreted by his critics. His insistence that happiness was to be assessed not merely by quantity but by quality - the doctrine that a dissatisfied Socrates is not only better than a satisfied fool but somehow happier, too - has puzzled generations of commentators† (Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy). Taking the abo ve statement into consideration, it would be evident that the social system of governance that is clearly applicable today has been influenced partly in what Mill parlayed in his writings. It is a mandate of the social reformists to make society economically grounded through necessity and not indulgence. Adding to the fears of the time and how America was starting to engage in over-indulgences brought on by the industrial revolution, â€Å"Mill feared that it was also a society that cared nothing for individual liberty.†... Adding to the fears of the time and how America was starting to engage in over-indulgences brought on by the industrial revolution, "Mill feared that it was also a society that cared nothing for individual liberty." (Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy). This thinking would lead to a lack of "civil liberties" as Mill quoted in his writings On Liberty written in 1859. Through the lack of civil liberties "Mill lays down "one very simple principle" to govern the use of coercion in society - and by coercion he means both legal penalties and the operation of public opinion" (Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy) and through this analogy Mill points out that society needs to follow the utilitarian viewpoint on self-discretion and self-denial. Utilitarianism and Its Impact Utilitarianism is defined by the Bentham ideology a "a moral theory according to which an action is right if and only if it conforms to the principle of utility." (Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy) This basically means that an action is only correct in its definition if it relates to the consequences of that action. It is perceived that happiness of self applies to the welfare of self and utilitarian law implicates that happiness equates to the welfare of those best affected. The application of the word utilitarianism has been replaced by consequentialism by devotees of the movement. Mill's Theories of Influence It is apparent early philosophers had a great deal of influence over Mill and his social rhetoric on his viewpoints about social reform, but, there are those who have been guided by Mill themselves which include such individuals as: John Rawls, Robert Nozick, Karl Popper, Ronald Dworkin, H.L.A. Hart, Peter Singer. One such individual, John Rawls, was such a profound philosopher with respect