The Columbian Exchange

The voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492 is a significant event in world history.
This session focuses on the transformation brought about by Columbus' discovery for individuals in both the New World and the Old World.
Definitions:
- New World: Refers to North and South America, a region unknown to the Europeans before Columbus, where Native Americans had lived for thousands of years.
- Old World: Refers to Africa, Asia, and Europe, areas known to Columbus and other Europeans prior to 1492.

The impact of Columbus’ discovery can be analyzed through the concept of the Columbian Exchange, coined by historian Alfred Crosby in his 1972 book "The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492."
Definition of the Columbian Exchange:
- The exchange of diseases, plants, animals, and people between the Old World and New World following Columbus' discovery in 1492.

Cultivated fields around Muncie, Indiana, illustrate the effects of the Columbian Exchange through crops:
- Corn: Native to the New World.
- Soybeans: An Old World crop domesticated in China and introduced after 1492.
Common birds on campus in Indiana (all introduced from the Old World):
- English house sparrow (originating from central Asia).
- Starling.
- Rock dove (or pigeon).
The modern lawn is another product of the Columbian Exchange:
- Originated in England and France; consists of Old World grasses ill-suited to Indiana's climate, requiring substantial care to maintain.

A crucial yet often overlooked aspect of the exchange is the transfer of microorganisms and diseases across the Atlantic following 1492.
Impact on Native American Populations:
- Native Americans lived in isolation from Eurasian diseases prior to Columbus, leading to minimal exposure to infectious diseases.
- Europeans introduced various Old World diseases that had devastating effects:
- Most serious diseases:
  - Smallpox: Highly contagious, characterized by high fever, vomiting, and skin eruptions.
  - Significant in Europe as a childhood illness, one-third of childhood deaths were due to smallpox.
  - In the New World, it resulted in high mortality rates for both adults and children.
- Statistical Evidence:
- Between 1518 and 1578, the Native American population of Mexico dropped from approximately 25 million to 2 million.
- In 1492, the U.S. Native American population was estimated at 5 to 10 million, falling to around 600,000 by 1800.
- Another estimation suggests as high as 18 million Native Americans resided in North America around 1492.
Syphilis as the corresponding New World disease:
- A venereal disease likely transmitted to the Old World after 1492.
- First recorded outbreak in Italy during the mid-1490s; subsequently spread to China by 1505.
- Initial lethality decreased over time due to population immunity and milder strains surviving longer.

Following Columbus' voyages, the exchange of plants and animals began.
Columbus's second voyage introduced seeds and cuttings of Mediterranean plants:
- Wheat, grapevines, and olive trees flourished in temperate areas of the Spanish New World territories (Mexico, Peru, Chile) but not in tropical regions.
African crops that shaped New World agriculture include:
- Coffee, watermelon, black-eye peas, okra, and bananas.
Introduction of Old World domesticated animals:
- Cortez brought horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats during his expedition to Mexico in 1519.
- Prior to this, Native Americans mainly had dogs, some South American camels, domesticated birds like turkeys, and guinea pigs.
- Guinea pigs were consumed regularly in the Inca Empire.

The introduction of Old World flora and fauna led to the establishment of "Neo-Europes," regions resembling Europe with temperate climates suitable for familiar crops.
Examples of Neo-Europes:
- North America, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, and Australia.
Allowed settlers to establish reliable food supplies from Old World agriculture, facilitating mass migration from Europe to the New World.

The reverse exchange also had significant effects. New World crops dramatically influenced food availability in the Old World:
- Maize, potatoes, tomatoes, among others, increased food production.
Example - Potato:
- Originally from the Andes, thrives in various climates and produces more food per acre than wheat.
- First cultivated significantly in Ireland, becoming crucial by the late 1500s.
Challenges with the Potato:
- Initial concerns included associations with flatulence, skin diseases, and poisonous characteristics.
Maize, initially adopted in Africa, became a staple by 1650, constituting 45 to 60% of the diet in various regions today.

Between 1650 and 1850, the Old World's population (Africa, Asia, and Europe) doubled from approximately 530 million to 1.1 billion.
New World crops transformed global dietary patterns.
- Fast food meal analysis:
- Chicken (domesticated in China), potatoes (from South America), corn (from Mexico), black pepper (from India), coffee (from Ethiopia).

Migration patterns during the Columbian Exchange primarily flowed from the Old World to the New World between 1500 and 1800.
Three main streams of migration:
- Southwest Europe Migration:
- Approximately 100,000 Portuguese migrants headed to Brazil; over 500,000 Spanish migrants migrated to the Caribbean and Latin America.
- Predominantly adult men (85% of Spanish migrants were men).
- British Isles and Northern Europe Migration:
- About 1 million migrants (English, Irish, Scots, Germans, Dutch, French) arrived between 1600 and 1800.
- Some migrated with families to acquire land, many were indentured servants.
  - Indentured servitude involved a contract for fixed labor in exchange for passage (51% of white settlers outside New England were indentured servants).
- Transportation of Convicts:
- 50,000 British convicts were transported between 1718 and 1776, primarily for larceny, serving fixed sentences of hard labor in colonies, primarily Maryland and Virginia.

The most significant migration stream to the New World was that of Africans due to the Atlantic slave trade.
Between 1500 and 1820, West Africans significantly outnumbered European migrants at a rate of four to one.
This migration was not voluntary; individuals were forcibly taken from their homelands and sold into slavery in the Americas.