The European encounter with the Americas started an enormous two-way
traffic in plants and animals, as well as people and diseases, between the Old
World and the New. Historians call this process the Columbian Exchange,
named after Christopher Columbus. The Columbian Exchange would have
far-reaching and long-lasting consequences for human history.
Like the exchange of animals, the exchange of
plants altered the diets of people in both the New
World and the Old. Wheat from Europe became a
staple crop in the United States and other Ameri-
can countries. From the New World came toma-
toes and an even more important export, the
potato, long a mainstay among the Inca. Span-
ish soldiers brought potatoes back from Peru. At
first, Europeans looked down on the potato as
plain and bland. Gradually, however, they realized
2. Please read this passage
carefully and use the highlighter
tool to mark 2 separate portions
of text: Use GREEN to highlight
a positive impact of the
Columbian Exchange and RED
to highlight a negative impact
(10 points).
HINT: A "portion" of text should
never be longer than 1 sentence.
Shorter phrases also work.
Separate portions should not be
touching!
The Columbian Exchange had tragic effects as well.
It was not only plants and animals that crossed