The Columbian Exchange: People

The Start of the Columbian Exchange

Oct 12, 1492

Columbus thought he was on his way to India, but instead ended up across the Atlantic Ocean in America. His expedition led to the Columbian exchange, which is a big movement that allowed food, diseases, animals, and even people to be transferred across the Atlantic. Because of him, the forced and voluntary transfer of people started and the world to be globally connected for the first time in history. Investigating the consequences of the Columbian Exchange article from BHP

Europe Wants to Expand

Jan 1, 1500

Around the 1500s, about 2 million Europeans started to travel to the Americas. Some of these Europeans were convicts and their passage was forced. Since Europe was starting to run out of space for criminals, they decided to move them to the Americas. Some of the Europeans came to Americas as indentured servants. Some because of war, famine, isolation, or religious discrimination. A big outcome was the transfer of European disease to the Americas. Human Migrations II from BHP

Africans to the Americas

Jan 1, 1500

In the late 1400s, as many as 11 million African slaves arrived to the Americas to work on the large plantations. The transfer of the African slaves allowed for re-population of the New World after the disease causing deaths killed more than 90% of the original residents. Although there were a lot of slaves transferred to the Americas, it still doesn't make up for the lives lost to the European diseases. The Columbian Exchange Crash Course
Human Migrations II from BHP

Natives to the East

Feb 1, 1500

A few years after Columbus’s voyage, thousands--maybe millions-- of Native Americans were sold as slaves in Spain and Portugal. This allowed for humans to be more genetically and ethnically diverse. Human Migrations II from BHP
The Columbian Exchange Crash Course

Natives and Horses

Mar 1, 1500

Although the transfer of horses was not an exchange of people, it did affect the Native Americans. Horses were domesticated animals brought over by the Europeans. With horses, the Natives favored a nomadic lifestyle because they could make more money hunting buffalo. Horses probably helped Natives get to different regions of the Americas quicker, which technically is the distribution/transfer of people within the Americas. The Columbian Exchange Crash Course

Aztecs vs. Spain

Jan 1, 1518

Hernan Cortes, a Spanish conquistador, arrives to the Aztec civilization in Mesoamerica (Central America) and he brought over a hundred Spanish soldiers. Cortes and the Aztecs soon establish an unhealthy relationship, which led to many attacks. But the Spanish also introduced Old World diseases and that caused the Aztec population to decrease. Diseases definitely helped Europeans settle in the Americas easily even though the transfer was unintentional. smoop.com

Portugal Looks Over to Africa

Jan 1, 1519

In 1519, The Portuguese brought over African slaves to the Americas in order to help farm crops in Brazil and the Spanish-American mainland. Slaves made these countries richer because they were able to do a variety of jobs, like work in hospitals or on farms. Because most of these civilizations were more advanced and rich, some of them were able to control slave trade and establish more settlements across the Atlantic. Human Migration II from BHP

Europe Colonizes

Mar 13, 1607

Europe decides to start colonies in the Americas after they knew that settling in the Americas was advantageous. Among many colonies, a group of colonists were willing to have a fresh start to their lives and they settled in Jamestown. Jamestown had a lot of resources and could be easily defended from attack by sea. Since Jamestown was a stable colony, it helped grow Europe's tobacco industry. Tobacco was a major cash crop in Jamestown because Europeans were addicted to it. smoop.com