Columbian Exchange: Global Trade, Impact

The Columbian Exchange The exchange of crops, animals, people, and germs between Eurasia and the Americas after 1492 (the year Christopher Columbus landed in the new world) Globalization- Made the world a more connected and interdependent place. Items Brought from Eurasia (old world) Crops: Grapes, Oats, wheat, barley, rice, sugar cane, citrus fruit, onions, apples, bananas Livestock: Cattle, chickens, sheep, pigs, goats, oxen, horses, donkeys Diseases: Smallpox, tuberculosis, influenza, typhus, measles, pertussis Items Brought from the Americas (new world) Crops: Squash, pumpkin, corn, tomatoes, peanuts, tobacco, beans, and peppers Livestock: Turkey Diseases: Syphilis Other items: Precious metals Mercantilism: - Economic System in which the government has control over foreign trade The country increased wealth by accumulating gold and silver Needs a favorable balance of trade + Export more than they import Colonies become very important + Producers and markets Trying to sell more than buying Positive impacts of Columbian Exchange - Foods from the New World were calorically dense + The world population doubled between 1650 and 1850 Sugar and Coffee are easier to grow in the New World The introduction of horses changed the lifestyles of many Native Americans Pigs were a new and abundant meat source in the Americas Negative impacts of Columbian Exchange - Forced labor, starvation, and disease devasted the Native American population + The native population of Hispaniola was reduced by 90% by 1550 Decreased biological diversity Enslavement of African populations