40 pages • 1 hour read
Alfred W. CrosbyThe Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1972A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
What is Crosby’s thesis regarding the impact of the Columbian Exchange, and what evidence supports it?
What are some of the major biological consequences of the Columbian Exchange, both early in the conquest of the Americas and today?
Are there benefits of the Columbian Exchange? Whom do they benefit?
Do you agree with Crosby’s assertions that “for the sake of the present we loot the future” and “We, all of the life on the planet, are the less for Columbus, and the impoverishment will increase” (219)? Does his argument, put forth in 1973, ring true today?
How did syphilis transform life for Europeans and Indigenous Americans?
How might the world be different today if Columbus had not landed in the Caribbean in 1492? Identify at least five cultural elements that are readily observable in the Americas today that are a product of the exchange.
Explain the significance of American crops to the growth of global populations in the modern era. Provide specific examples in support of your explanation.
Do you agree with Crosby’s assertion in his 2003 prologue that he placed too much emphasis on syphilis’s impact in his first edition? Why? How did he revise his argument 30 years later?
What is the most important impact of the Columbian Exchange and why?
Which American crops were most impactful in world history? How did they transform diets and lifestyles? Be sure to include at least three American foods that are staples in diets globally today.
