What were the impacts of Christopher Columbus's "discovery" of the New World?

1. Economics/Trade

1.1. Led to colonisation of a lot of North and South American regions (east coast of North America, West Indies, etc.) for cash crops

1.2. Mercantilist economic policy became popular; mother countries wanted raw materials such as tobacco, indigo, and cotton from dependent colonies to manufacture into finished products

1.3. Native Americans became an important labor force that worked the plantations of the colonists

2. Technology

2.1. Colonists brought ploughs and horses to pull them which improved farming techniques in the New World.

2.2. Guns and improved weaponry (steel knives, etc.) helped Natives hunt more animals effectively because the weapons were so deadly.

2.3. Europeans built stronger settlements using iron and steel to build houses, ports, and boats. Using the wheel was effective in construction because it allowed for materials to be transported easily.

3. Demographics/Culture

3.1. Disease spread from the Old Word to the New World. This was especially devastating because Native Americans had little immunity to these diseases because of their isolation from the rest of the World.

3.2. Decrease in Native American population led to the import of slaves from Africa. This led to a mix of ethnicities in the colonies, since they intermarried with Natives and colonists.

3.3. Since many African men left Africa to work in the New World, polygamy became more popular in Africa. This happened to compensate for the lack of men available to marry women and start families.

3.4. African and Native American cultures mixed to create religions such as Voodoo and the Samba dance.

3.5. Corn and potatoes from the New World led to a population boom back in the Old World.