Contact & Columbian Exchange

CASE BRIEF: When two hemispheres met after 1492, plants, animals, people, and diseases moved in both directions, reshaping population, diet, and power on every continent.

TASK: Evaluate how the Columbian Exchange transformed both the Americas and Afro-Eurasia, weighing benefits against catastrophic costs.

EVIDENCE: Trade good inventories (maize, potatoes, horses, sugar) - Population decline estimates for Indigenous communities post-contact - Excerpts from Bartolome de las Casas's accounts

ANALYZE: Which changes were intentional versus accidental? Who benefited most, and who bore the greatest cost? How reliable are population estimates from this era?

BUILD A CLAIM: Write a claim on whether the Columbian Exchange should be remembered primarily as a story of transformation, exploitation, or both.

RUBRIC: Uses at least 3 pieces of evidence - Addresses both hemispheres - Acknowledges limits of population data