Columbian Exchange: Impact on Global Populations and Economies

What significant event began in the late 1400s involving explorers?

Explorers began crossing the Atlantic.

What was the encomienda system in Spanish colonies?

Spanish colonists were granted land and the labor of Native Americans, effectively enslaving them.

Which European countries established colonies in the Americas and where?

Portugal in Brazil, Spain in Mexico & South America, France in Haiti, Guadalupe, Martinique, England in North America, Barbados & Jamaica, and the Netherlands in the Antilles and Aruba.

What was the result of interactions between Europeans and indigenous groups?

Massive changes occurred across the globe, including cultural diffusion and the exchange of goods.

What items were exchanged between the New World and the Old World?

New World items included crops and livestock; Old World items included animals, plants, culture, and disease.

What new industries emerged as a result of European colonization?

Cattle ranching and coffee growing and roasting.

What was the impact of the Columbian Exchange on European nutrition and population?

New crops became staples, leading to better nutrition and longer life expectancy, which contributed to population growth.

What class system developed in Spanish colonies?

A class system based on birth: Spaniards at the top, followed by Creoles, Mestizos, and then Indians and Africans.

What was the Middle Passage?

The voyage that brought captured Africans to the West Indies and Americas to be sold into slavery.

How many Africans were estimated to be shipped to the Americas from 1500-1800?

About 10 million Africans.

What economic theory promoted colonization and exploitation?

Mercantilism, which states that a country gains power by building wealth through exporting more than it imports.

What was the impact of Spanish conquistadors on Native American populations?

Attacks by conquistadors killed thousands, and diseases wiped out over 90% of the Native American population.

What role did missionaries play in the new lands?

They built schools, spread European languages, and attempted to convert indigenous people to Christianity.

What were the effects of the Columbian Exchange on Africans?

Africans were enslaved and brought to the Americas, significantly impacting their populations and cultures.

What was the largest class in the Spanish colonial class system?

The Creoles, who were pure Spanish people born in America.

What was the lowest class in the Spanish colonial class system?

Africans, who were enslaved, and Indians, who worked as poor tenant farmers.

What was one of the major consequences of better nutrition in Europe due to the Columbian Exchange?

Longer life expectancy.

What cultural impact did European colonization have on indigenous religions?

Indigenous religions and cultures suffered due to the spread of Christianity and European influence.

What was the significance of the first enslaved Africans brought by the Spanish?

They were brought in 1518, marking the beginning of large-scale African slavery in the Americas.

How did the Columbian Exchange affect Asia?

It led to increased trade and the introduction of new crops, impacting nutrition and economies.

What was a major consequence of the transatlantic trading network?

It connected Europe, Africa, and the Americas, facilitating the exchange of natural resources, cash crops, manufactured goods, and enslaved people.