A.P. World History Notes

Unit 4.3 Columbian Exchange

Diseases and population Catastrophe:

• Western and Eastern Hemisphere isolation
• No exposure to other diseases and germs
• Columbus and exploration united the two sides.
• Smallpox, influenzas, malaria, mumps, measles
• Indigenous populations fell 50%
• Some lost 90%
• Both Because of diseases brought over.

Animals and Food:

• Major component was the exchange of crops and livestock.
• Europeans introduced eat, wheat, and grapes.
• Introduction of horses changed Native lifestyles: Hunting buffalo, gave more time for art and spirituality, competition, gave more power to groups with Horses.
• Europeans took maize, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, peppers, and cacao.
• Led to population growth. Healthier foods improved lifespans.

Cash Crops and Forced Labor:

• Introduction of okra and rice
• Tobacco and cacao sold in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East
• African populations grew due to the introduction of nutritious foods.
• Bigger than subsistence farming which needed more laborers, which grows African population in America.

The Lure of Sugar:

• Brazil was perfect for sugarcane cultivation.
• Disease wiped out the indigenous workforce.
• Forced laborers often escaped into the jungle.
• Led to the importing of slaves from Africa.

Slavery:

• Sugar became increasingly profitable.
• Sugar plantations demanded heavy labor usage.
• Constant importation of labor
• Slaves became majority in some areas.
• Terrible conditions, poor nutrition, heat, and disease
• Engenhoes
• 5-10% lost every year because of said conditions.

Growing Cash Crops:

• Spanish pursued the same success of the Portuguese
• Cultivated sugar and tobacco.
• Cash Crops
• Sugar became the main moneymaker.
• Caribbean smaller than Brazil, so they weren’t as successful due to lack of land.

African Presence in the Americas:

• African Diaspora
• Enslaved Africans retained some aspects of their cultures.

Environmental and Demographic Impact:

• Agricultural land was used intensively.
• Trees cut down to clear land.
• Large fields were created and cultivated year after year.
• Deforestation and soil depletion
• Dense populations: Strain on water resources, pollution.
• Population becomes more dense.