Columbian Exchange
Demographic and
environmental
impacts
Is it an important subject for
WHAP?
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2005 COT Analyze the social and economic transformations that occurred in the Atlantic world as a result
of new contacts among Western Europe, Africa, and the Americas from 1492 to 1750.
2006 DBQ Using the documents, analyze the social and economic effects of the global flow of silver from
the mid-sixteenth century to the early eighteenth century. Explain how another type of document would
help you analyze the effects of the flow of silver bullion in this period
2007 COMP Within the period from 1450 to 1800, compare the processes (e.g., political, social, economic)
of empire building in the Spanish Empire with the empire-building processes in ONE of the following.
The Ottoman Empire OR the Russian Empire
2009 COMP For the period from 1500 to 1830, compare North American racial ideologies and their effects
on society with Latin American/Caribbean racial ideologies and their effects on society.
2010 COT Describe and explain continuities and changes in religious beliefs and practices in ONE of the
following regions from 1450 to the present. Sub-Saharan Africa Latin America/Carribean
2012 COMP Compare demographic and environmental effects of the Columbian Exchange on the
Americas with the Columbian Exchange’s demographic and environmental effects on ONE of the
following regions between 1492 and 1750 Africa, Asia, Europe
2014 COT Analyze continuities and changes in the ways ONE of the following regions participated in
interregional trade during the period circa 1500 to 1750.
Latin America, including the Caribbean
Sub-Saharan Africa
Southeast Asia
Read and write impacts on
posterboard for group notes
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Group 1- Americas
Group 2- Africa
Group 3- Europe
Group 4- Asia
Group 5- Pos and negative impacts
Impact on Native Americans
• Europeans were learning of the profitability of
the plantation system – relying on what?
– Economic benefit of using local forced labor
• Disease – Europeans, unknowingly brought
measles, mumps, chickenpox, smallpox,
typhus and others.
• The local people had no built-up natural
immunity to these diseases yet.
Impact on Africans
• With decline of native work force, labor was
needed from elsewhere.
• Slave trade exploded, especially in W. Africa
Over the next 300 years (1500-1800) appx
10 million people were taken
Impact on Europeans
• Europeans began to cross the Atlantic
creating one of the largest voluntary
migrations in world history.
• Overseas expansion inflamed national
rivalries in Europe causing conflict.
– Treaty of Tordesillas, 1494 (Spain Vs. Portugal)
• Growth of trade markets completely
changed the world
FOREVER!
The Columbian Exchange
• Voyages launched large-scale contact between Europe and Americas.
• Interaction with Native Americans led to sweeping cultural changes.
• Contact between the two groups led to the widespread exchange of plants,
animals, and disease—the Columbian Exchange.
The Exchange of Goods
Sharing Discoveries
• Plants, animals developed in very
different ways in hemispheres
• Arrival of Europeans in Americas
changed all this
• Europeans—no potatoes, corn,
sweet potatoes, turkeys
• Previously unknown foods taken back
to Europe
• People in Americas—no coffee,
oranges, rice, wheat, sheep, cattle
• Familiar foods brought to Americas by
colonists
The introduction of beasts of burden to the Americas was a significant
development from the Columbian Exchange. The introduction of the horse
provided people in the Americas with a new source of labor and transportation.
Effects of the Columbian Exchange
Different Foods
• Exchange of foods, animals had dramatic impact on later societies
• Over time crops native to Americas became staples in diets of
Europeans
• Foods provided substantial nutrition, helped people live longer
Economics and Gastronomics
• Activities like Texas cattle ranching, Brazilian coffee growing not
possible without Columbian Exchange; cows, coffee native to Old
World
• Traditional cuisines changed because of Columbian Exchange
Italian Food Without Tomatoes?
• Until contact with Americas, Europeans had never tried tomatoes
• Most Europeans thought tomatoes poisonous
• By late 1600s, tomatoes had begun to be included in Italian
cookbooks
The Exchange can be positive
or negative in its effects
• In the exchange that started along the coast of
Newfoundland and was made widespread by
Columbus, disease was the most negative for
the Native American population
• Fatality rate over a period of two to three
generations was 95% for many tribal groups
• In some cases, as in the Mohegans case, the
fatality rate could be 100 percent
Europeans believed that it was
God’s will that Indians died
• No germ theory at the time of contact.
• Illness in Europe was considered to be the
consequence of sin
• Indians, who were largely “heathen” or
non-Christian were regarded as sinners
thus subject to illness as a punishment
The Introduction of New Diseases
• Native Americans had no natural resistance to European diseases
• Smallpox, measles, influenza, malaria killed millions
• Population of central Mexico may have decreased by more than 30
percent in the 10 years following first contact with Europeans
Devastating Impact
• Native American population continued to decline for centuries
• Inca Empire decreased from 13 million in 1492 to 2 million in
1600
• North American population fell from 2 million in 1492 to
500,000 in 1900—but disease not only factor in decrease of
population
• Intermittent warfare, other violence also contributed
Old World Diseases
• European disease was particularly virulent
• Smallpox, measles, diphtheria, whooping cough,
chicken pox, bubonic plague, scarlet fever and
influenza were the most common diseases
• Nearly all of the European diseases were
communicable by air and touch.
• The pathway of these diseases was invisible to
both Indians and Europeans
Effects Widespread
Effects of Columbian Exchange felt not
only in Europe, Americas
• China
– Arrival of easy-to-grow, nutritious corn helped
population grow tremendously
– Also a main consumer of silver mined in Americas
• Africa
– Two native crops of Americas—corn, peanuts—still
among most widely grown
• Scholars estimate one-third of all food crops
grown in world are of American origin
Mercantilism
New Economic Policy
Intense Competition
• Founding of colonies, new
goods in Europe led to
significant changes
• Wealth measured by amount
of gold, silver possessed by
nation
• 1500s, Europeans developed
new economic policy,
mercantilism
• Mercantilists believed there
was fixed amount of wealth in
world
• Nation’s strength depended on
its wealth
• For one nation to become
wealthier, more powerful—had
to take wealth, power away
from another nation
• Wealthy nation had power for
military and expanded
influence
• Mercantilism led to intense
competition between nations
Balance of Trade
• Mercantilists built wealth two ways—
•extract gold, silver from mines at home, in colonies;
•sell more goods than it bought from foreign countries, creating
favorable balance of trade
• With favorable balance of trade, country received more gold, silver
from other nations than it paid to them
• Increased its power; weakened foreign competitors
Imports
• To achieve favorable balance of
trade, could reduce amount of
imports by placing tariffs on
goods
Exports
• Encourage exports that could sell
for higher prices than raw
materials
• Importer paid tariff, added cost to
price of good
• Countries encouraged
manufacturing and export of
manufactured goods
• Imported goods more expensive,
discouraged people from buying
• Governments provided subsidies
to help start new industries
Controlling Sources
Third approach for favorable balance of trade,
Controlling Sources
• Nation that controlled own sources would not need to import
from competing nations
• Why important
– Country did not need to spend own money to obtain raw materials
– Foreign countries considered rivals, might become active enemy, cut
off supply of raw materials
• European nations worked to become more self-sufficient
• Nations began to establish colonies
Colonies
Building colonial empires essential to mercantilist system
Colonies
• European powers wanted to
establish colonies
Strict Laws
• Monarchs restricted economic
activities in colonies
– To control sources of raw
materials
• Colonists could not sell raw
materials to other countries
– To provide new markets for
manufactured goods
• Could not buy manufactured
goods from other nations
• To mercantilist, colonies existed
only to benefit home country
• Strict laws forbade colonies from
manufacturing goods
• Forced to buy only from home
country
Summarize
What were the main principles of
mercantilism?
Answer:
•nation's strength depended upon its wealth;
•needed a favorable balance of trade
Commercial Revolution
• What: The transition (change) from Mercantilism
& then to Capitalism IS the
COMMERCIAL REVOLUTION
• When: 16th -17th centuries
• Who/Where: Europeans & European
countries & colonies
• Why?: changes in commerce (trade) & money
making methods
Changes in the power structure btwn countries
• Why Care?:Influenced today’s financial dealings
(the way we do business)
Commercial Revolution
• CAUSE:
– new wealth + dramatic growth in overseas trade
= new business and trade practices
• EFFECTS:
– set the stage for the development of CAPITALISM
– Basis of today’s financial practices
The Rise of Capitalism
Increasing trade between Europe and colonies created new business and
trade practices during the 1500s and 1600s. These practices would have a
great impact on the economies of European nations.
Capitalism Emerges
Overseas TRADE
Increased
BUSINESS ACTIVITY
• In capitalism, most
economic activity
carried on by private
individuals,
organizations in order
to seek profit
• During this time,
capitalism expanded
• Individuals amassed
great trade fortunes
• Merchants supplied
colonists with
European goods
• Returned products,
raw materials
• Overseas trade made
many merchants rich
• Wealth enabled them
to invest in more
business ventures
• Business activity in
Europe increased
greatly
Rising Prices (INFLATION)
• Investors took risks of investing in overseas trade because of inflation
• Inflation: steady increase in prices
• Demand for goods increased due to growing population, scarcity of
goods; rising demand drove prices higher
Money Supply
• Increase of money supply another factor in higher prices (INFLATION)
• Shiploads of gold, silver flowed into Europe from Americas to be made
into new coins
• Over time, increase of money in circulation pushed prices for goods
still higher
A New Business Organization
New Ventures
• Overseas business ventures often
too expensive for individual
investors
• Investors began pooling money in
joint-stock companies
Shares
Joint-Stock Companies
• Investors bought shares of stock
in company
• If company made profit, each
shareholder received portion
Financing Colonies
• Profit, loss based on number of
shares owned
• British East India Company, one of
first joint-stock companies
• If company failed, investors lost
only amount invested
• 1600, imported spices from Asia
• Others formed to bear cost of
establishing colonies
So… What is CAPITALISM
• Economic System based on:
– private ownership &
– investment of wealth for profit
– Free Trade
• Cause: overseas colonization & trade = lots of
merchants getting RICH!
– And… they continued to invest in trade to get
RICHER (increase profits)
– AND then… they re-invested more to get even
RICHER!
Global Impacts of Columbian
Exchange
Americas
Africa
Europe
Asia
Pos/neg
New foodstuffs like wheat,
rice, olives, grapes, coffee,
sugarcane, chili peppers
Animals-pigs, sheep,
horses, goats
Christianity bought along
with European style cities
Miscegenation- mixing of
racial based society
Great Dying- largest
population loss due to
diseases brought from old
world
Spanish control
Extraction of mineral
resources
Deforestation
Weapons
10-14 million enslaved
Africans
Plantations ( encomiendas)
African Diaspora
Sweet potatoes and Manioc
increase populations
Portuguese coastal colonies
for slave trade
Slave trading kingdoms like
Dahomey, Asante, Kongo,
Benin and Ife
Loss of males ( intensive
labor on sugar plantations
required male labor)
Forced migration
Introduction of guns,
molasses and rum (
manufactured products from
Europe for enslaved)
Separation of families due to
diaspora
Many areas Christianized for
Portuguese slave trade
Introduction of new
foodstuffs like potatoes,
tomatoes and corn
Place for overcrowded
Europeans to go for
opportunity ( mass
emigration)
Rise of bourgeoisie class (
merchants making money
off of mercantilism and
capitalistic enterprises)
Syphilis ( not proven)
Boost in population
Increased use of ships
(deforestation)
Rise of nation states ( Spain,
Portugal, France,
Netherlands and England)
Wealth from mercantilism
used in religious wars (30
years war)
Wealth also reinvested in
stock markets 9 joint stock
companies like British East
India and Dutch East India
CO formed)
Sweet potatoes increased
Asian populations
Easy to grow corn
increased population
China’s Ming Dynasty
became main consumers
of silver
Loss of revenue due to
new markets, resources
and labor
Many Asians will
eventually migrate to
Americas for labor
Land-locked empires
have competition with
European manufactured
goods, markets and raw
materials ( sugar, cotton,
coffee, tea)
Slavery increases
(neg)
New foodstuffs enrich
diets (pos)
Souls are saved and
Christian missionaries
help educate
populations (pos)
Old culture denied (
neg)
Massive destruction of
environment through
deforestation and
mining ( neg)
Social mobility for
some through the
triangle trade( pos)
Reliance on slavery
and other
products/markets leads
to diminished
technology (neg)
Comp Thesis
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From 1492-1750 both the Americas and Africa were tied through the trans-Atlantic
trade controlled by the European (Spain, Portugal, France, England, Dutch) forces,
both will engage in coercive labor of slavery or indentured servitude, however, the
African exposure to diseases made them less susceptible while the native Americans
were succumb to smallpox and other diseases on a massive scale (Great Dying)
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During the Columbian Exchange Europeans and Asians were both benefit greatly
being introduced to new foodstuffs and enriching their diets, however, Europe will
begin their ascension dominating the land labor and capital of the Americas while
Asia will not be directly involved because of their isolation. Europe, too , will export
the much needed silver and gain power that the Ming Dynasty desperately needed
for their economy changing the balance of trade ( still in favor of China but not as
much).