AP World History - Columbian Exchange and Maritime Empires

  • Unit Overview: Columbian Exchange

    • Explains the radical change connecting Afro Eurasia (Eastern Hemisphere) and The Americas (Western Hemisphere).
    • Known for the exchange of plants, animals, and diseases.

  • Agricultural Impact

    • Significant crops migrated between hemispheres.
    • West to East: potatoes, maize, tobacco, tomatoes → increased population and nutrition in Eastern Hemisphere.
    • East to West: sugarcane (grown on plantations using enslaved Africans).
    • Sugar became a significant product for trade.

  • Animal Exchange

    • West to East: turkeys, llamas, alpacas.
    • East to West: horses, pigs, cattle, chickens (impacted diets and indigenous lifestyles).

  • Disease Spread

    • No illness existed in The Americas prior to European contact.
    • European diseases (smallpox, measles) decimated indigenous populations (50% - 90% mortality rate).

  • Identifying Evidence in Sources

    • Importance of recognizing claims and supporting evidence in historical documents.
    • Practice analyzing sources for claims related to the Columbian Exchange.
    • Example: Potatoes' role in nutrition and agricultural expansion.

  • Maritime Empires & Labor Systems

    • Increased labor demand for colonies in The Americas necessitated coerced labor systems (e.g., encomienda, mita).
    • The Atlantic Slave Trade fueled labor shortages with high mortality rates during transport (Middle Passage).

  • Social Hierarchies Post-Columbian Exchange

    • Racial hierarchies formed, particularly in Spanish colonies (Casta System).
    • The system justified European rule and mixed-race populations emerged.

  • Resistance to Power

    • Despite the overwhelming power of European empires, various local and slave resistance movements emerged.
    • Resistance strategies varied, from armed rebellions to subtle acts of defiance.