The arrival of European explorers was largely detrimental to indigenous populations. European exploration led to colonization, exploitation, enslavement, numerous wars, the spread of diseases including smallpox, and attempts to assimilate native populations to Christian European culture. During the exploration and colonization period, European presence resulted in the death of millions.
However, despite all of these shortcomings, there were some positives created by the initial arrival of Europeans, along with European trade and technology, to the Americas. In exchange for local crops such as tobacco, potatoes, and corn, the European explorers provided Native Americans with a variety of kitchen and hunting tools including knives, fish hooks, and utensils for cooking. In the earliest days of European colonization, the Iroquois began fur trapping in order to trade and provide their communities with more efficient European technologies. Early European exploration gave Native American communities access to new technologies and the ability to trade to their advantage, and this was the most positive effect of European exploration.
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