The Columbian Exchange

European settlers unload goods upon their arrival
in the Americas

Once you've completed your PowerPoint, you will use your textbook (Ch. 6.1) and Internet sources to complete the activity below. You will be examining the movement of goods and people between the U.S., Europe and Africa.

Call the assignment "Columbian Exchange Introduction". Complete it on loose leaf paper.

Part 1
Respond to the following:

1. Review: When did the earliest people arrive in North America? Where did they come from?
2. Based on the information in your book, define and describe the Columbian Exchange.
3. Sketch the Columbian Exchange, showing what moved from place to place at each step.

Part 2

Then, watch this video clip, entitled "When Worlds Collide."

1. What does the video mean when it mentions a "staple" crop?
2. What were some foods eaten by people in the Americas?
3. Argue for or against the following statement using evidence from the video: People in the Americas were better off than people in Europe.

Part 3

Then, watch a second clip from "When Worlds Collide." Use it to answer the questions below.

1. What is the main idea of this clip?
2. How did resources from the Americas affect the European economy?
3. How did contact with the Americas change what Europeans ate?
4. What are some common foods Europeans tried for the first time because of contact with the Americas?
5. What "bad habit" did Europeans pick up?

Part 4

Finally, read the article titled "Foods that Changed the World." You will see information on 8 crops. 

1. Choose 4 crops. Describe why each became very important in the world today.
2. Which of these crops do you think is most important? Explain.