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The Columbian Exchange

The Columbian Exchange

  • columbian exchange: transfer of plants, animals, disease, and technology between old world and new world

    • old world: where Columbus came from

    • new world: where he found and conquered

  • after 1490s, an intermingling of life-forms long separated by geography

  • people, mostly in one direction

    • about 2.6 million europeans

    • about 12 million africans

  • crops and domesticated animals

    • horse changed the lifestyles of native americans

    • old world animals expanded food base in new world

  • invasive plant and animal species

  • epidemic diseases

    • smallpox, influenza, typhus, measles, diphtheria, scarlet fever

  • native american populations collapsed

    • shorter history of large urban centers that breed disease

    • up to 90% losses in first 150 years

    • compounded by other factors, especially violence and instability

    • european brutality

  • 3 causes for why the europeans wanted to migrate and expand:

    1. god

    2. gold

    3. glory

The Columbian Exchange

The Columbian Exchange

  • columbian exchange: transfer of plants, animals, disease, and technology between old world and new world

    • old world: where Columbus came from

    • new world: where he found and conquered

  • after 1490s, an intermingling of life-forms long separated by geography

  • people, mostly in one direction

    • about 2.6 million europeans

    • about 12 million africans

  • crops and domesticated animals

    • horse changed the lifestyles of native americans

    • old world animals expanded food base in new world

  • invasive plant and animal species

  • epidemic diseases

    • smallpox, influenza, typhus, measles, diphtheria, scarlet fever

  • native american populations collapsed

    • shorter history of large urban centers that breed disease

    • up to 90% losses in first 150 years

    • compounded by other factors, especially violence and instability

    • european brutality

  • 3 causes for why the europeans wanted to migrate and expand:

    1. god

    2. gold

    3. glory