Columbian Exchange
The Columbian Exchange is a combination of cultural interactions that took place when European explorers started to colonize the New World. The Europeans brought their technologies, animals, foods, social expectations (roles of men and women), and Christianity to the Native Americans. The Native Americans brought their knowledge of agriculture, their foods, and to an extent, their religious beliefs to the Europeans. A few years later (when many of the Native Americans had died due to diseases) African Americans became a part of this intermingling: they brought their beliefs, ways of life, and knowledge to the New World. All of these formed a kind of exchange that resulted in combinations of beliefs and practices.
What is the Columbian Exchange?
Students will write a 2 to 3 page paper on the Columbian Exchange
Students are to structure their paper this way:
Introduction: What is the Columbian Exchange? A statement in the beginning paragraph expressing a belief that the exchange affects us today.
Body: A paragraph or two should be dedicated to what each group of people brought to the table and then another paragraph that discusses how these practices, foods, ideas, etc. impacted the other group(s).
Conclusion: Students should tell me how the exchange is reflected in our daily lives today (re-emphasizing their statement from the beginning).
Start with this easy-to-read article which will give you an excellent overview:
 |
|
|
Read about it here at the National Humanities Center |
|
|
Look at the Links posted from this site for many more resources |
|
|
Learn the "Who, What, Where, When & Why" at Shmook's article "The Columbian Exchange" Make sure you use the red tabs across the top of the intro to the article. |
|
|
|
|
|
Columbus Navigation There are links to explore and you can also do a site search for "Columbian Exchange" |
|
|
|
|
|
**Just an FYI....Mrs. Brown never heard of the Columbian Exchange when she was in high school. Why not??