What was the Columbian Exchange?
The Columbian Exchange describes the movement of plants, animals, people and diseases between the Americas and other regions after 1492.
Historical context and developments
Potatoes and maize entered other food systems, while horses and other animals changed life in the Americas. Eurasian diseases, colonial conquest and forced labor devastated Indigenous societies. This was not an equal exchange.
Consequences and interpreting sources
Environmental shifts and trade networks lasted for centuries. Consider local experiences and colonial power rather than making one crop or epidemic explain everything.
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