Columbian Exchange

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/columbian-exchange

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary initiator?Christopher Columbus's voyages, beginning in 1492
2. What is the scope of transfer?Bi-hemispheric exchange of flora, fauna, technology, culture, human populations, and disease
3. Why did people in Europe grow more food after the exchange?New crops like corn and potatoes came from the Americas and gave Europeans more food that grew well in many places.
4. How did the exchange affect people in the Americas?Many Native Americans got sick from new diseases like smallpox and measles that Europeans brought, and many people died.

Pathogens: Microscopic organisms, such as bacteria and viruses, that can cause disease.
Demographic Collapse: A drastic and widespread decrease in the population of a region or group.
Mercantilism: An economic theory promoting government regulation of trade to increase national wealth and power.