The Columbian Exchange

2. The Columbian Exchange Two Worlds Meet for the First Time

3. Old World and New World Encounter • After Columbus’ arrival in the Americas, animal, plant and bacterial life began to mix • Europeans brought new diseases to Native Americans which crippled their population. • Europeans brought plants and animals to the New World • Plants and animals from the New World were taken back to Europe which spread to Asia and Africa. • The Columbian Exchange had dramatic effects on the entire world

4. From Europe to America-Disease • Soon after 1492, settlers brought new diseases to the Natives. • Smallpox, measles, mumps, whooping cough, influenza, chicken pox, typhus • Native Americans had no immunity to these new diseases • Between 1492 and 1650, perhaps 90 percent of the Native Americans had died. • The shrinking Native population led to a growth in colonies as settlers now found it easier to claim more land

5. From Europe to America-Crops • The Europeans brought new crops and plants to the Americas. • Wheat, oats, barley, rye, rice, coffee, tea, sugar cane, dandelions, onions, bananas, apples, oranges, and other citrus fruits • Sugar becomes the mainstay of Caribbean and Brazilian economies. • Rice, cotton, and tobacco forms the basis of many slave societies in the United States

6. From Europe to America-Animals • Europeans brought over domestic livestock to the Americas • Chickens, cattle, goats, pigs, sheep, horses. • Natives had few domesticated animals, and none weighing more than 100lbs. • The horse revolutionized Native American life, allowing tribes to hunt buffalo far more effectively. • Other animals provided meat, tallow, hides, transportation and hauling.

7. From America Back to Europe-Disease • The flow of disease from the Americas into Eurasia and Africa was not significant. • Native Americans did not have many contagious diseases that could be passed to the new settlers. • Unlike European diseases, Native American illnesses did not lead to a catastrophic collapse of the European population.

8. From America Back To Europe-Crops • Corn was brought back to Spain and spread across Europe, and then into Asia and Africa. • Other crops included squash, pumpkins, beans, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, chili peppers, peanuts, chocolate, potatoes and tobacco • The potato had an enormous effect on European society • New foods became staples of human diets and new growing regions opened up for crops.

9. From America Back to Europe-Animals • Unlike the huge effect that plants had on other parts of the world, American animals had little effect at all. • One domesticated animal that did have an effect was the turkey. • Raccoons were fancied for their furs.

10. An exchange of Ideas • Native Americans taught the Europeans local farming methods. • Europeans adopted devices invented by the Natives such as the canoe, the snowshoe, the hammock and the poncho • Europeans introduced the Native Americans to metalworking, new techniques of shipbuilding, and new forms of weapons, including firearms.

11. Some interesting facts about the Columbian exchange • Before the Columbian Exchange there were no: • Oranges in Florida • Bananas in Ecuador • Tomatoes in Italy • Coffee in Colombia • Pineapples in Hawaii • Cattle in Texas • Chili Peppers in India • Cigarettes in France • Chocolate in Switzerland • Potatoes in Ireland

12. In closing…. • Take a few moments to think about how the Columbian Exchange still affects you today in 2014. • Write down a couple notes/ sentences answering the following question: • How is your life still affected by the exchange in crops, animals, diseases and goods that took place between the Old and New World during the Columbian Exchange?