Positive and Negative Impacts of European Contact:
Paper details:
Columbus’s voyages were the first of a series of explorations into the New World. These voyages resulted in contact with pre-existing Native American cultures. These cultures were highly variable depending on region, environmental resources, and cultural development. The interactive map below shows both the European voyages and the Native American culture areas.
For this activity, I would like you to examine the interactive map to see where Native Americans lived and the areas the Europeans explored. To view the different regions and the different chronological periods, click on the timeline and the buttons below it to see different views. As you are examining the interactive map, take note of the following:
• What kind of resources existed for Native Americans in different regions, for example, the Northeast versus the Southwest?
• How did European exploration affect these regions differently?
Using the information you gathered from the map and from your readings, discuss the positive and negative impacts of the Columbian contact with the Western Hemisphere and the Columbian Exchange. Post at least one positive and one negative impact for Europeans and for Native Americans.