Question

People in the Americas didn’t have access to a large variety of animals that could be domesticated and put to use. The Americas didn’t have horses, for example. How might this situation affect the development of societies in the Americas compared to societies in Africa, Asia, and Europe?

Answer 1

While animals such as sheep, cows, pigs and horses were available in the old continent, the Americas lacked large animals that could be domesticated. This had an important impact on the civilizations that developed there.

On the one hand, Europe benefited from this as the animals were useful for farm work. The presence of large animals also allowed many means of transportation to develop. This meant that production was generally less efficient in the Americas. On the other hand, the Americas had some advantages, as the lack of animals meant that many diseases that originated in these animals were not common among the people of the Americas.

Answer 2

This lack of close proximity to large domesticated animals meant much less contact with various germs that would build immunity to diseases. Therefore, when Europeans came to the Americas, these diseases they unknowingly carried devastated native populations. In addition to this, large animals could be used to assist in farming. This increase in productivity meant less individuals were needed to help produce food, thus allowing for specialization of labor in other fields.

If you haven't already seen it, Guns, Germs, and Steel is a great documentary for explaining all of this.