← Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections (c. 1450–1750)
The Columbian Exchange
The Columbian Exchange transferred crops, animals, people, and diseases between the Americas and the rest of the world, with world-altering demographic and ecological effects.
Overview
Crops like potatoes and maize moved to Afro-Eurasia (boosting populations); horses and wheat moved to the Americas; and European diseases devastated Indigenous American populations, who had no prior immunity — a demographic catastrophe central to this unit.
Practice Quiz
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What was a major demographic consequence of the Columbian Exchange for Indigenous peoples of the Americas?