Answer:
You can argue both ways, but here are a few reasons for each:
Benefit:
- Introduced foreign crops and animals that hadn't been previously existing
- Sparked an economy and trading routes between Europe and the Americas
- Because of the introduction of cash crops to the Americans, the American agricultural industry was becoming a big part of the economy
Became a detriment:
- Alongside the crops and animals being brought over, many diseases traveled and made their way into America, killing a generous amount of people
- Malaria was one of the major diseases brought over
- The Colombian Exchange was also bringing settlers into the Americas which pushed out the preexisting Native settlers; this led to many major conflicts down the road
