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4.3 Columbian Exchange SAQ

"On the evening of October 11, 1492. . .. The two worlds [Old and New world], which God had cast asunder, were reunited, and the two worlds, which were so very different, began on that day to become alike. That trend toward biological homogeneity is one of the most important aspects of the history of life on this planet since the retreat of the continental glaciers."

Alfred W. Crosby Jr., The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492 (1972)

"Maize was the most important grain of the American Indians in 1491, and it is one of the most important grain sources in the world right now. It is a standard crop of people not only throughout the Americas, but also southern Europe. It is a staple for the Chinese. It is a staple in Indonesia, throughout large areas of Africa. If suddenly American Indian crops would not grow in all of the world, it would be an ecological tragedy. It would be the slaughter of a very large portion of the human race."

Alfred W. Crosby Jr., Smithsonian.com, October ,4 2011

Question 1

Short answer

Describe Crosby's argument about the interactions that occurred between the Americas and Europe/Africa in the period c. 1450-c. 1750.

Question 2

Short answer

Explain ONE way in which the biological impact referred to in the passage differed from other encounters between the Americas and Europe/Africa in the period c. 1450-c. 1750.

Question 3

Short answer

Explain ONE historical situation in the period 1450-1750, other than the one illustrated in the passage, in which states experienced environmental impact.

Question 4

Short answer

Identify and explain ONE way in which disease transformed the Americas, Africa, and Europe in the period 1450-1750

Question 5

Short answer

Identify and explain ONE way in which commodities affected economies in the Americas, Africa, and Europe in the period 1450-1750

Question 6

Short answer

Identify and explain ONE way in which European practices affected the environment in the Americas in the period 1450-1750

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