Topic 4.3 Flashcards
The Columbian Exchange (24 cards)
How did Europeans effect Native Societies?
- European conquests damaged entire native societies and their ways of life, eventually new ways of life developed out of the interaction of three broad traditions of culture: Indigenous American, European, and African
- In this process, the Eastern and Western Hemispheres became linked in a way, sharing disease, foods, and animals
Who was the Columbian Exchange named after?
- Christopher Columbus because of his role in establishing the link between the natives and the Europeans
What effects did the Columbian Exchange have?
- It had far-reaching effects beyond dramatic changes in population and biodiversity.
- Contributed to a global economy, sometimes with unintended consequences
How did silver reflect the effects of the Columbian Exchange on the Spanish?
- Spain successfully mined silver in the Americas, yet this silver sparked inflation in Spain, which contributed to the downfall of the Spanish Empire?
What were the Americas life before Columbus arrived?
The peoples of Western and Eastern Hemispheres had been almost completely isolated from each other
- For this reason, the indigenous people had no exposure and therefore no immunity- to the germs and diseases brought by Europeans
What were the major diseases that the Europeans brought over to the Americas?
- Smallpox, measles, influenza, and malaria were responsible for killing millions of Native Americans
Which Spanish soldiers were responsible for spreading smallpox?
- The Conquistadores Francisco Pizarro and Hernan Cortes
Which other living things spread smallpox?
Insects, rats, and other disease carrying animals spread smallpox and came to America on ships
How did disease effect the indigenous population?
- Fell by more than 50 percent and some American lands lost up to 90 percent of their original populations
What animals and food were introduced to the Europeans?
Turkey, maize, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, peppers, and cacao
What animals and food were introduced to the Americas?
Horses, Pigs, Cows, Coffee Bean, Bananas, Wheat and Grapes
What did the introduction of animals and foods effect?
Caused tremendous population growth
Describe the exchange between North America and Africa?
- The coerced arrival of enslaved Africans to the Americas brought okra and rice with them to the Americas, tobacco and cacao
- Populations grew in Africa because of the nutritious foods that were introduced to the continent
- Yams and manioc were brought from Brazil
What was the impact of the lure of sugar?
- Brazil had the perfect climate for sugarcane cultivation
- Many of the people forced to work in the sugar fields escaped to the uncharted Brazilian jungle
How did the lure of sugar effect the trans-Atlantic slave trade?
- The number of Africans captured and sold dramatically increased through the trade
What were the conditions of enslaved people?
- Often died from backbreaking work conditions, poor nutrition, lack of adequate shelter, and tropical heat and the diseases that accompanied the heat
What were sugar plantations called?
- Sugar plantations processed so much sugar that they were referred to as engenhos, which means ‘engines’ in Portuguese because of their horrible work conditions
How did the Portuguese try to recreate plantation agriculture?
- The Spanish noticed Portugal’s success with plantation agriculture and returned to the Caribbean to pursue cash crop cultivation such as sugar and tobacco.
Describe cash crops
- Cash crops are grown for sale rather than subsistence
- Soon, sugar eclipsed silver as the main money maker for the European empires
What were African Diaspora?
The dispersion of Africans out of Africa
- Tiny communities outside of their homeland
- Their culture was not completely lost
What was creole?
Because of the America’s isolation from European cultures, they combined the colonizers’ languages with their languages and grammatical patterns
ex: Gullah and Geechee
Why did many Africans maintain their musical traditions?
Used their music as a means of survival
- They would sing to help the endure long workdays, as well to communicate with other Africans, such as when planning an escape.
What was Gumbo?
A dish with roots in African cooking that had rice and okra.
What was the Casta System?
- Peninsulares: Iberian Peninsula
- Criollos: Those of European ancestry
- The Castas: Mixed race ancestry
- Mestizos: European and Indigenous ancestry
- Mulattos: mixed European and African
- Zambos: Indigenous and African ancestry
- Indigenous and Enslaved Africans
