What we know the world to be today is not what the world has always been. Millions of years ago, continents that were once connected drifted away from each other, otherwise known as continental drift. North and South America were, at one point, connected to Eurasia and Africa. This change caused many changes, such as divergent evolution. Simply put, the Western continents had things that the Eastern continents didn't have, and vice versa. Eventually, Europeans managed to cross the Atlantic Ocean and set foot on American territory. The Columbian Exchange began because the New World had things to offer that the Old World didn't have, and the Old World had things to offer that the New World didn't have. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Many things we have and use today in our daily lives were brought to us because of the Colombian exchange, but we have never really stopped to think about where that product came from and the historical path it brings with it. A huge product used in our daily lives that has a great history behind it is sugar. We use sugar in baked goods, in beauty products like body scrubs, in sugary iced drinks like tea; the uses are endless. We may view the sugar product as a positive thing, however some do not believe it is. Sugar was first discovered by Greek conquerors in northwestern India, in the 4th century BC. In terms of sugarcane production, there were four important aspects: sugarcanes grow best in warm, humid areas; sugar production required a lot of labor, and that labor had to be supplied year-round; sugar is «marketable only when it is produced on a relatively large scale; and finally sugar is an industrial enterprise. In the beginning, sugar was available only to the rich and powerful. For example, the first Queen Elizabeth loved to eat sweets and soon had to deal with tooth decay. That example was one of the first signs that sugar might be unhealthy. Our first source, Source 1, was about a guy named Dr. Willis, who linked increased sugar consumption with worsening health. Even after saying this, there was a dramatic increase in sugar consumption in England, which brings us to source 3. This source was a letter written to a member of Parliament, asking how much tax England should impose on sugar. Due to the increase in sugar consumption, the profit made by the sugar industry has become a target for the government. The author of that source warned us that raising taxes would do more harm than good. Another source, Source 4, was against sugar production, stating that America had become depopulated due to the land needed to produce sugar, as had Africa. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay I believe that everything has its pros as well as its cons, and sugar production is a great example of this belief. It is difficult to imagine a world today without sugar, as it has become a huge product used in daily routines.