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Native American Exchange Of Disease Essay

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The Exchange of Disease: Native American Culture Before Columbus
European exploration, a movement introduced in the 15th century and motivated by commercial interests, religious expansion, and fame. When Europeans explored the New World, they encountered various Native American tribes which led to the exchange of ideas and commodities between the Old and New World, or the Columbian Exchange. The Columbian Exchange later resulted in a massive outbreak of disease among Native Americans which severely decreased population. I chose this topic to expose the religious traditions and cultural values that were lost when disease struck.
My research began with both the objectives of spanish explorers when first colonizing America and first encounters …show more content…
Native Americans had come to America over a land bridge over 12,000 years ago, and began migrating towards the East. Before the first contact with Native Americans in 1492, when Columbus reached the Bahamas, Native Americans followed diverse cultures and customs. Cultures were unique to distinct groups and organized according to a clan or family. These groups highly valued nature and believed in spirits found in nature. However, Europeans destroyed these beliefs by forcing Native groups such as the Taino to surrender their beliefs and convert to Christianity. European disease wiped out approximately 90% of Native Americans, further destructing their already oppressed culture and beliefs. Before researching the effects of foreign disease on Native Americans, I had not realized the impact to which European Exploration had made. Native Americans valued their beliefs in spirits in nature and had established their own political systems, however with the discovery of the New World, their lives had completely been altered with the genocide of their peoples, disease, and being forced into slavery on their own

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