Unit 1

Alfred Crosby, The Columbian Exchange, 1972 When Europeans first touched the shores of the Americas, Old World crops such as wheat, barley, rice, and turnips had not traveled west across the Atlantic, and New World crops such as maize, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and manioc had not traveled east to Europe. In the Americas, there were no horses, cattle, sheep, or goats, all animals of Old World origin. Except for the llama, alpaca, dog, a few fowl, and guinea pig, the New World had no equivalents to the domesticated animals associated with the Old World, nor did it have the pathogens associated with the Old World's dense populations of humans and such associated creatures as chickens, cattle, black rats, and Aedes egypti mosquitoes. Among these germs were those that carried smallpox, measles, chickenpox, influenza, malaria, and yellow fever. Crosby, Alfred. "The Columbian Exchange." N.p., 1972. Web. 25 Mar. 2016. Crosby's description illustrates which major historical development throughout the world? A Migration to the American West B The Great Migration C The transition from feudalism to capitalism D The Columbian Exchange

The Columbian Exchange Historian Alfred Crosby's The Columbian Exchangedetails the biological, environmental, and cultural changes that resulted after the 1492 contact between the Old World and the New World. The Columbian Exchange refers to Christopher Columbus, his voyage, and his contact with indigenous peoples. As the excerpt shows, Crosby wrote about the animal, plant, and microbial transfer that came as a result of the exchange and the often devastating impact of epidemic disease.

Alfred Crosby, The Columbian Exchange, 1972 When Europeans first touched the shores of the Americas, Old World crops such as wheat, barley, rice, and turnips had not traveled west across the Atlantic, and New World crops such as maize, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and manioc had not traveled east to Europe. In the Americas, there were no horses, cattle, sheep, or goats, all animals of Old World origin. Except for the llama, alpaca, dog, a few fowl, and guinea pig, the New World had no equivalents to the domesticated animals associated with the Old World, nor did it have the pathogens associated with the Old World's dense populations of humans and such associated creatures as chickens, cattle, black rats, and Aedes egypti mosquitoes. Among these germs were those that carried smallpox, measles, chickenpox, influenza, malaria, and yellow fever. Crosby, Alfred. "The Columbian Exchange." N.p., 1972. Web. 25 Mar. 2016. The process described by Crosby most significantly impacted Native American society by A creating an economic dependence of Europeans on Native American trade. B promoting an equally beneficial relationship between native and European peoples. C providing new resources that dramatically changed native settlement patterns as well as political, social, and economic development. D rapidly increasing global innovations to raise food productio

providing new resources that dramatically changed native settlement patterns as well as political, social, and economic development. The Columbian Exchange involved the global transfer and trade of diverse forms of life and culture. In many instances for Native Americans, this transfer was negative - for instance, the transfer of microbial life that led to disease and the death of tens of millions of indigenous peoples. The introduction of European livestock (animals like cattle, pigs, and sheep) sometimes disrupted native people's lives negatively as well, as these creatures often destroyed indigenous plants and landscapes. On the other hand, the results of the Columbian Exchange brought some opportunities for Native Americans. Before contact, the only large domesticated animal in the Americas was the alpaca. With the introduction of European livestock, however, natives might take advantage of new food resources. Horses, too, became a useful resource as natives quickly learned to ride and raise the animal to great effect. Within decades, Native Americans used horses to enhance their own hunting and combat needs.