Bellwork 1

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1 Asɛmmisa

Akwankyerɛ

Read the paragraph about the Columbian Exchange, then answer the question to show your understanding of its effects on societies across the Atlantic world.

The Columbian Exchange began after 1492, when Europeans, Africans, and Indigenous peoples in the Americas became connected through regular travel and trade across the Atlantic Ocean. As plants and animals moved between continents, diets and economies changed: crops like maize (corn), potatoes, tomatoes, and cacao spread to Europe and Africa, while wheat, sugarcane, horses, cattle, and pigs arrived in the Americas. These transfers increased food supplies in some regions and helped populations grow, but they also created new plantation systems and intensified the use of enslaved labor, especially to produce sugar. The most devastating part of the exchange was the spread of diseases such as smallpox and measles to the Americas, where many Indigenous communities had no immunity; this caused enormous population losses and reshaped societies, land use, and power across the Atlantic world.

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Which outcome best shows how the Columbian Exchange changed societies on both sides of the Atlantic?

European nations stopped trading with Africa because goods were now available in the Americas

Indigenous Americans gained immunity to European diseases within a few years

Most Europeans began growing only American crops and stopped using traditional foods

New crops and animals led to diet changes and population growth in some regions