The Columbian Exchange and Transatlantic Slave Trade

These flashcards cover key concepts from the lecture notes on the Columbian Exchange and the transatlantic slave trade, detailing both their impacts and outcomes.

Columbian Exchange

The vast transfer of plants, animals, people, diseases, and ideas between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres following Columbus's voyages.

Positive impact of the Columbian Exchange

Increased food supply and population growth, boosted food security and agricultural diversity.

Negative impact of the Columbian Exchange

Devastation of Indigenous populations due to diseases like smallpox and measles.

Transatlantic slave trade

The importation of enslaved Africans to the Americas driven by European colonial expansion and plantation economies.

Plantation economies

Economies in the Americas that required massive amounts of labor for crops such as sugar and tobacco, leading to increased slave trade.

Intermediaries in the slave trade

Coastal kingdoms such as Dahomey and Benin that captured or purchased enslaved individuals for sale to European traders.

Impact on West Central Africa

Heavily targeted by the slave trade, leading to depopulation and collapse of local political structures.

Recovery from the slave trade

Some African societies, like Dahomey and the Asante Empire, managed to adapt and grow stronger while others faced decline.

Maritime routes

Established paths across the Atlantic that facilitated the trade of enslaved Africans and goods.

Demographic shock

The significant population loss and disruption experienced in various African regions due to the slave trade.