Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic in 1492 and opened a period of extensive exchange between the Old and New Worlds. His greatest impact on the New World has been the one to which the least attention has been paid: his biological impact. For millions of years the biotas of the Old and New Worlds developed independently, divergently. The…

Discusses effects of disease on the Atlantic basin after Christopher Columbus established contact between the hemispheres. Emphasizes the decimation of the native populations of the Americas when exposed to illnesses common in Eurasia and Africa. Relates the epidemics to the development of the slave trade and the rise of the middle class in…

The far-reaching and transforming interactions of the Old World and the New are known today as "the Columbian Exchange." Part 1 of this booklet is an introduction by John J. Patrick dealing with teaching about the voyages of Christopher Columbus. Part 2, "Columbus and Ecological Imperialism," by Alfred W. Crosby, provides an…