Topic 1.4: The Columbian Exchange, Spanish Exploration & Conquest

What was the main theme of Unit 1 Topic 4?

Geography and the Environment.

What was the learning objective for Unit 1 Topic 4?

To explain the causes of the Columbian Exchange and its effects on Europe and the Americas after 1492.

Why were Europeans exploring so much in the 16th century?

They wanted to establish colonial empires in the Americas and dominate trade in the Indian Ocean, mainly to gain wealth.

What two developments made long-distance trade easier and more efficient?

Improvements in maritime technology and the rise of joint-stock companies.

What does “maritime” mean?

It means sea-based or related to the sea.

What kind of technology made shipping easier during this time?

New ship designs and navigation tools borrowed from Muslim and Chinese navigators.

What was the Portuguese caravel?

A fast, highly navigable ship built for trade that used triangular lateen sails.

What was the advantage of the lateen sail?

It could catch wind from both sides, not just from behind, making ships more maneuverable.

What navigation tools did Europeans adopt to improve exploration?

The magnetic compass for direction and the astrolabe for calculating latitude.

What was the second major development that helped trade grow?

The rise of the joint-stock company.

What was a joint-stock company?

A limited liability business, often chartered by the state and funded by a group of investors who could share profits and risks.

Why were joint-stock companies significant?

They allowed many people to invest in exploration, increasing the number of expeditions and global trade routes.

Why did states rely on joint-stock companies?

Exploration was expensive and risky; joint-stock companies solved the problem of limited state funds and frequent failures.

How did joint-stock companies protect their interests?

They relied on the state for protection, trade monopolies, and control over regions of trade.

What was one result of the growth of joint-stock companies?

More expeditions and global trade routes, multiplying opportunities for wealth and expansion.

What was the major effect of expanded maritime trade?

The Columbian Exchange — a massive transfer of plants, animals, people, minerals, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds.

What does “Old World” refer to?

Afro-Eurasia — the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

What does “New World” refer to?

The Americas.

Why was the Columbian Exchange significant?

It was one of the most transformative events in world history, leading to major demographic and ecological changes on both sides of the Atlantic.

What was exchanged during the Columbian Exchange?

Diseases, plants, animals, minerals, and people.

Why did diseases devastate the indigenous peoples of the Americas?

They had lived in isolation and lacked immunities to Afro-Eurasian diseases.

Which disease was introduced to the Caribbean by the Spanish in 1518?

Smallpox.

What was the impact of smallpox on Hispaniola’s indigenous population?

It killed about 90% of the Taino people.

How did smallpox spread through the Americas?

It followed Spanish conquest through Mexico and Central America, killing about half the population there.

What other deadly diseases did Europeans introduce?

Measles and similar illnesses that further decimated indigenous populations.

What did Native Americans call the introduction of European diseases?

The Great Dying.

What was the second major category of exchange in the Columbian Exchange?

The transfer of food and plants.

What were some Old World crops brought to the New World?

Wheat, olives, and grapes — staples of European diets.

What were some Asian or African foods brought to the Americas?

Rice, sugar, and bananas.

What were some New World crops introduced to Europe?

Maize (corn), potatoes, and manioc (cassava).

What crops did enslaved Africans bring to the Americas?

Foods like okra.

What was the effect of these new food exchanges?

They created more varied diets and healthier populations in both hemispheres.

How did New World crops affect Europe’s population?

They caused a population explosion after 1700 due to better nutrition.

What was a demographic consequence of Europe’s population growth?

More people immigrated to European colonies in the Americas.

What was the third major category of the Columbian Exchange?

The transfer of animals.

Which animal had the most significant impact on the Americas?

The horse.

How did the introduction of horses change life for indigenous peoples?

It gave groups like the Apache, Comanche, and Kiowa more effective means to hunt buffalo and increased their power in conflicts.

How did horses change the balance of power among Native groups?

Groups that adopted horses gained an advantage and dominance over those that did not.

What other animals were introduced to the Americas?

Pigs, sheep, and cattle.

What problem did these animals cause in the Americas?

They had no natural predators and overpopulated, leading to environmental and agricultural problems.

How did sheep affect the environment?

They overgrazed and caused soil erosion that harmed indigenous farmers.

How did pigs and cattle harm indigenous agriculture?

They trampled and ate crops.

What was the fourth major category of exchange?

The transfer of minerals, especially silver and gold.

Which empires did Spanish conquistadors conquer for precious metals?

The Aztec and Inca Empires.

What resource made Spain wealthy in the New World?

The large quantities of gold and silver extracted from the Americas.

What was the name of the mountain rich in silver mined by Spain?

Potosí, located in present-day Bolivia.

Who mined the silver at Potosí?

Enslaved indigenous people.

What economic effects did the influx of silver have on Spain and Europe?

It caused two major economic effects — the Price Revolution and a shift from feudalism to capitalism.

What was the Price Revolution?

A period when prices for European goods rose steadily for about a century and a half.

How did the Price Revolution change Europe’s economy?

It accelerated the transition from feudalism to capitalism.

What was feudalism?

A social and economic system focused on land ownership, limited trade, and local self-sufficiency.

What was capitalism?

An open economic system focused on trade, investment, and manufacturing for profit.

How was the Columbian Exchange connected to the rise of capitalism?

The new flow of silver, crops, and goods created global trade networks that encouraged profit-based economies.

What combined factors from the Columbian Exchange transformed the global economy?

The transfer of minerals, new crops, expanding trade, and demographic changes.

What long-term effects did the Columbian Exchange have on labor systems?

It increased demand for labor in the Americas, leading to the expansion of forced labor systems like slavery.

What long-term effects did the Columbian Exchange have on demographics?

Massive indigenous population decline and population growth in Europe and Africa.

When did the Columbian Exchange begin?

After 1492, with Columbus’s voyages connecting the Old and New Worlds.