EXPLORATION EFFECTS: DISEASE & COMMERCE - 06/13/25

Columbian Exchange

A trade system between Europe, Africa, and the Americas

Why it's called that

Named after Christopher Columbus

Americas traded

Natural resources like crops and raw materials

Europe traded

Manufactured goods made from resources

Africa traded

Enslaved people (brought to the Americas)

Disease impact

Deadly diseases from Europe killed millions of Native Americans

Cultural impact

American society became a mix of Native, European, and African cultures

Columbian Exchange effects

Global trade of goods, ideas, cultures, and people

What did Europe gain?

Resources, land, labor, and global power

What did the Americas lose?

Millions of lives, land, and cultural independence

What was traded besides goods?

People, disease, language, and religion