Columbus’ impact on world history Europe Takes a Leading Role in the World

Did Columbus Discover America?

Who cares? Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain in 1492 and crossed the Atlantic until he hit land He is, so far as we know, the legitimate discover of the Bahamas (nice place, but...) He is not important for discovering anything

He’s Important Because... His ships were big enough to take things back to Spain And take things he did

Some nursery rhymes “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue...” “In 1493 Columbus stole all he could see...” “In 1494, he came back and stole some more...”

All of them brought things home Gold Spices Silver, yes BUT ALSO: Animals Plants Food

The Columbian Exchange This global trading between the New World and the Old World is called the Columbian Exchange NEW WORLD

Who benefited the most? OLD WORLD? OR NEW WORLD?

The Old World Got... Tobacco Corn Squash Potatos Sweet Potatoes Cacao Beans Tomatoes Beans Peanuts

It Also Got... Quinine A medicine that proved effective in the treatment of malaria, which had caused Europeans problems for ages

But Then, It Also Got... Syphilis A sexually- transmitted disease that had no cure Caused blindness and insanity prior to death

The New World Got... Onions Olives Grapes Bananas Sugar Cane Peaches and Pears Coffee Beans Honeybees

It Also Got... Wheat Rice Barley Oats Cattle Sheep Pigs Horses

But Then, It Also Got... Mumps Measles Small Pox This was particularly deadly; in some cases, it killed 90% of the native populations

The Columbian Exchange The Old World definitely got the better end of the deal Smallpox in particular meant the end for many Native American Communities and made other natives vulnerable to Conquest

The Commercial Revolution One of the biggest impacts from Columbus is the emergence of a new world economy Enormous wealth is created Most of it at the expense of Native Americans and Africans

The Commercial Revolution Spain especially benefits from gold & silver in the New World For a while, Spain is the leading world power

The Commercial Revolution Other wealth comes from the slave trade More than 12 million slaves crossed the Atlantic And from agriculture (coffee, tobacco, sugar) Much of the work done by slaves

Commercial Revolution This wealth transforms the economy of Europe and the world A new form of capitalism emerges System of private property and investment for profit

New Ideas In addition to the exchange of tangible items, Columbus also inspired a new era of ideas Paved the way for many more explorers Some of them are better categorized as conquerors

New Ideas This is where exploration and the Renaissance are linked But whereas the Renaissance often looked backwards, to the classics, Columbus pointed forwards His discoveries raised questions about what Europeans thought they knew Columbus inspired others to ask what else was out there, what else there was to learn

On the Edge of the Modern World  Columbus’ voyages, despite all the questions about them, helped set Europe on a course out of the Middle Ages and into the Modern World  Europe had ceded world leadership after the fall of Rome  After 1000 years, Europe would lead the world again

The Columbian Exchange Good, in that it provided food and medicine to half the world that had not had it before Bad, in that it spawned a race for aempire that killed entire populations and enslaved others