4.3 Columbian Exchange

THEMATIC FOCUS

Humans and the Environments ENV
The environment shapes human societies, and as populations grow and change, these populations in turn shape their environments.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

Unit 4: Learning Objective D
Explain the causes of the Columbian Exchange and its effects on the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS

KC-4.1.V
The new connections between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres resulted in the exchange of new plants, animals, and diseases, known as the Columbian Exchange.

KC-4.1.V.A
European colonization of the Americas led to the unintentional transfer of disease vectors, including mosquitoes and rats, and the spread of diseases that were endemic in the Eastern Hemisphere, including smallpox, measles, and malaria. Some of these diseases substantially reduced the indigenous populations, with catastrophic effects in many areas.

KC-4.1.V.B
American foods became staple crops in various parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Cash crops were grown primarily on plantations with coerced labor and were exported mostly to Europe and the Middle East.

KC-4.1.V.C
Afro-Eurasian fruit trees, grains, sugar, and domesticated animals were brought by Europeans to the Americas, while other foods were brought by African enslaved persons.

KC-4.1.V.D
Populations in Afro-Eurasia benefitted nutritionally from the increased diversity of American food crops.