The Columbian Exchange
Until Christopher Columbus completed his voyage to America in 1492, the continents of North and South America were
completely isolated from Europe and Asia. In fact, Europeans did not even know that the American continents existed.
(Columbus, literally, just ran into them.) One of the most important results of this accident is something that has come to be
called the Columbian Exchange. It involved the transfer of food, plants, animals, and diseases across the continents. People in
the Americas, Europe, and eventually Africa and Asia were greatly affected by this exchange. It brought the eastern and western
hemispheres together in a way that transformed the world.
1. What continents were involved
in the trade?
2. What are two items that were
brought to the Americas?
3. What are two items that were
brought from the Americas?
4. Make an inference: What was
a positive effect of the
Columbian Exchange?
5. Make an inference: What will
be the effect of new diseases
coming to the Americas?
Exchanging crops proved to be a far more intricate, involved process than ever could have been imagined at the time. Remarkably, the people of the Americas realized that crops with higher caloric value could not only feed more people, but also allowed people to work harder because they were more energized. This led to an adoption of American crops by European peasantries that changed entire cuisines in various cultures and spread rapidly through the Americas, Europe and finally, Africa. An important crop in Europe was potatoes, as they could be left in the ground until they were ready to be eaten and allowed many Europeans to evade taxes, as tax collectors did not go so far as to dig up not yet harvested crops. Similarly, potatoes were also a helpful crop and food source because when armies invaded and rounded up food for themselves, they were similarly unable to steal the potatoes; thereby, leaving food for the European people. Animals were also a key part of the Columbian Exchange. Horses, pigs, sheep, and cattle were all European animals that flourished rapidly in the Americas because they were able to reproduce without being hindered by predators. Pigs were also a key animal used during ocean travels because they could be dumped on the way to a country or place and then picked up and eaten on the way back. The horse, too, was also a very useful animal as it helped with battle; it allowed for faster travel, it allowed for the surprising of opponents, and allowed people to fight from a higher level. Activity: Where did your breakfast come from?
Directions: Use the Columbian Exchange map to
determine where each ingredient came from: The Old
World or the New World.
Write the ingredients in the correct box depending on
where they grew before 1492.
Old World = Europe, Asia, Africa
New World = North America, South America
; Breakfast Items
Toast
Home Fries
Bacon
Chocolate Milk Ingredients:
Wheat
Potatoes, pepper
Pig
Milk, Cocoa, Sugar 8. Old World 6. How were “New World” crops advantageous towards European society? 7. What impact did ‘Old World’ animals have on the Americas? 9. New World Activity Two: Primary Source “The Plague Named Smallpox”
“And [even] before the Spaniards had risen against us, a
pestilence first came prevalent: the smallpox. It spread over the
people as great destruction. Some it quite covered [with pustules]
on all parts – their faces, their heads, etc. There was great havoc.
Very many died of it. They could not walk; they only lay in their
resting paces and beds. And if they stirred much did they cry out.
Great was its destruction, Covered, mantled, with pustules, very
many people died from them.”
10. What is described in the passage above?
11. Who did the disease described above affect?
12. How did the disease affect them?
13. Why did the disease not affect the Europeans?
14. How do you think the smallpox disease may have helped the Spanish?
Activity Three: Population Graph
Directions: Create a bar graph to show how the population of Europe and the Americas changed after
1492.
Population in Europe and the Americas before 1492 and in 1800.
19. Which continent’s population declined from 1492 to 1800?
20. What caused the population to decline severely?
21. Which continent’s population grew from 1492 to 1800?
22. Why do you think their population might have grown?
23-25. So far, each item we’ve discussed has been TRADED or EXCHANGED. What is the one thing shown on the map above
that no one would want? Why would no one want it?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Review Questions:
26) The Columbian Exchange was the exchange of goods
a) From Europe to Asia
b) From Africa & Europe to Asia
c) From Africa, Europe, & Asia to the Americas
d) From North America to South America
27) Which of the following was not introduced into the New World as a result of the Columbian
Exchange?
a) Disease
b) Sugar
c) Horses
d) Maize
28) The primary cause of the Columbian Exchange was
a) The exploration of the New World
b) The spread of diseases from Asia
c) The transport of vegetables to Europe
d) The natives need for horses
29) What was a primary effect of the Columbian Exchange?
a) Increased isolation between Europe and America
b) Slave trade ended in Eastern Hemisphere
c) Diseases spread to the natives of the Americas
d) A decrease in trade between North America and Europe