Labor, Commerce, and the Columbian Exchange

Read this introduction and watch the lecture. The Columbian Exchange included not just the trade of plants, animals, and goods but also ideas and attitudes that shaped the development of the new world.

New Worlds in the Americas: Labor, Commerce, and the Columbian Exchange

European promoters of colonization claimed the Americas overflowed with a wealth of treasures. Burnishing national glory and honor became entwined with carving out colonies, and no nation wanted to be left behind. However, the realities of life in the Americas – violence, exploitation, and particularly the need for workers – were soon driving the practice of slavery and forced labor.

Everywhere in America a stark contrast existed between freedom and slavery. The Columbian Exchange, in which Europeans transported plants, animals, and diseases across the Atlantic in both directions, also left a lasting impression on the Americas.

Source: Lumen Learning, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/odessa-ushistory1os-1/chapter/new-worlds-in-the-americas-labor-commerce-and-the-columbian-exchange/
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