You’re trucking along in AP World History and learn one historical thing after another. History blah bla blah. But, every so often; you come upon something that is super important. Like, Top-5-most-important-things-that-ever-happened-important. Having said that, THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE WAS NOT AN EVENT! Columbus didn’t show up in the Caribbean with a box labelled “OLD WORLD”. And, the natives did not have a box labelled “NEW WORLD”. But, over the course of time and stemming from Columbus (hence the name) the two parts of the globe that had been separated for millenia finally became connected. Big Picture: Diseases and livestock go to the Americas and tons of awesome foods and medicines go to Afro-Eurasia. This is the Columbian Exchange.

CLIP #1: HEIMLER HANDLES THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE

1. A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE DESTRUCTION OF THE INDIES (1542), De Las Casas
2. THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE CONQUEST OF NEW SPAIN (1576), Bernal Diaz
3.
4. THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE (1972), Alfred W. Crosby
5. GUNS, GERMS, & STEEL (1997), Jared Diamond

1. FLORENTINE CODEX (1590), Friar Bernardino de Sahagun

2. BLACKFOOT WARRIOR ON HORSEBACK (1840)

3. KING FREDERICK THE GREAT OF PRUSSIA INSPECTING A POTATO CROP (1886)

4. THE MORNING CHOCOLATE (1780), Venice, Italy by Pietro Longhi

5. BRAZILIAN ENGENHO (1816)

1. Old World and New World meet for the first time.
2. They “exchange” stuff.
3. It wasn’t an event. But, over time the two worlds “exchanged” stuff.
4. Think of this as: Disease & Livestock for the Native Americans.
5. Caloric foodstuffs for the Afro-Eurasians.