Conclusion
The Columbian Exchange had an enormous influence on the world. It remains the biggest exchange of goods between nations the world has ever seen. Christopher Columbus created the first truly world wide economy with his maiden voyage to America. The influence that this world wide economy has had is undeniable. In North Carolina we have seen some examples of the influence that the Columbian Exchange has had on our state. These are just a few examples of the thousands that you can find. Almost everything can be connected to the exchange of goods that began in 1492. We have discussed that there were three main categories of plants, animals, and disease that were exchanged. However, the influence that surrounded this idea of exchange can go much further. For example, you can make the argument that colonialism played a large role on the state of North Carolina. Europeans traveled to the New World and built colonies throughout the Americas. That influence came from the Old World and would not be tied to one of the three main categories. The influence that the Columbian Exchange has had on North Carolina has had both positive and negative impacts on the region. The power of this influence has changed the way the region of North Carolina looks, and the way it interacts with the rest of the world. Mcneill (n.d.) states, "The results of this exchange recast the biology of both regions and altered the history of the world." Although, the exchange of goods may have slowed since 1492, it is important to note that the Columbian Exchange is an ongoing process, and that North Carolina will surely be influenced as the global economy moves forward in the future.