4.3 Columbian Exchange Flashcards
Columbian Exchange
The Columbian Exchange refers to the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World (Africa, Asia and Europe) in the 15th and 16th centuries following Christopher Columbus’s voyages.
Think of it like a massive potluck dinner where everyone brings something different to share. In this case though, not everything shared was good - while tomatoes from America were a hit in Italy, diseases like smallpox brought by Europeans had devastating effects on Native American populations.
Americas
A landmass that includes North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America
Think of the Americas as a large shopping mall with different sections - North America is the electronics section, Central America and the Caribbean are the food court, and South America is the clothing department. Each has its own unique items but they’re all part of the same mall.
Disease vectors
Disease vectors are organisms that transmit pathogens and parasites from one infected person (or animal) to another, causing serious diseases in human populations.
Imagine you’re playing a game of telephone where one person whispers something into another person’s ear, who then passes it on to someone else. In this scenario, each person passing along the message is like a disease vector - they’re not creating the message (or disease), but they’re responsible for spreading it around.
Smallpox
Smallpox is a highly contagious and deadly disease caused by the variola virus. It was eradicated worldwide by 1980 through a global immunization campaign led by the World Health Organization.
Think of smallpox as an extremely destructive wildfire. Just like a wildfire can spread rapidly and cause extensive damage, smallpox used to spread quickly among populations, causing high mortality rates and leaving survivors with severe scars.
Malaria
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
Imagine malaria as an evil spy (parasite) sent by its boss (the mosquito). Once inside your body (the country), it starts causing chaos. Antimalarial drugs are like your body’s secret service, working hard to find and neutralize these spies.
American Foods
American foods refer to ingredients native to America and dishes made from those ingredients which have been adopted into various cuisines worldwide after being introduced during European exploration and colonization periods.
Staple Crop
Staple crops are the main types of food that a population consumes regularly. They form the largest portion of a diet and supply a large fraction of energy and nutritional needs.
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer who completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean under the auspices of Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II & Isabella I. His expeditions opened up transatlantic navigation leading to widespread European exploration & eventual conquest of the Americas.
Old World
The term “Old World” refers mainly to Africa, Europe, and Asia or Afro-Eurasia; known collectively as part of our planet’s largest landmass which was known by many civilizations for millennia before discovering other continents like America or Australia.
If we continue with our video game analogy from earlier - think about your favorite classic game you’ve played over and over again. That’s like what life was for people living in Africa, Europe or Asia - familiar territories with established rules.
New World
The term “New World” refers to the Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas and Oceania, which were unknown to most Europeans before the voyages of Christopher Columbus.
AfroEurasia
A landmass that includes the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Atlantic Slave Trade
The Atlantic Slave Trade, also known as the Transatlantic Slave Trade, was a system of trading in which African people were captured and sold as slaves to European colonies in the Americas from the 15th to 19th centuries.
