My last blog entry began the story of how sugar, malaria, and the Columbian Exchange resulted in the living hell of slavery flourishing in the Caribbean. I described the economic reasons why this took place. Today we’ll examine some more implications of this development. It involves the combination of malaria and sugar. To read previous […]
Tag: horses
Sugar in the Caribbean, and the Columbian Exchange
This post continues my efforts to explain some of the consequences of the Columbian Exchange, one of my favorite historical topics. Today I want to talk about the importance of sugar in the Caribbean. To read previous posts about the Columbian Exchange, please see Introduction to the Columbian Exchange The Columbian Exchange and Human Extinction […]
Horses and Bison – More On the Columbian Exchange
In previous posts about the Columbian Exchange, I’ve mentioned horses in passing. To see previous posts on my series explaining the Columbian Exchange, perhaps the most important event in modern history, click here: (Introduction to the Columbian Exchange) (The Columbian Exchange and Human Extinction) (Smallpox and the Columbian Exchange). Today I want to blog about […]
Smallpox and the Columbian Exchange
In my last post about the Columbian Exchange, I mentioned in passing what happened to the Incas and Aztecs when they met with Europeans after 1492. Today, it is time to flesh out that story and how it relates to the Columbian Exchange by describing the importance of smallpox. You might have heard a version […]
Human Extinction & the Columbian Exchange
It seems a dramatic thing to state, it’s true. The Columbian Exchange could have caused human extinction. Today I’ll explain how. It involves a bit of counterfactual history, of course, given that humanity is not extinct. If you need to read my last post to understand how this became possible, click here. We left off […]
The Columbian Exchange – An Introduction
The Columbian Exchange ranks among my favorite historical topics I used to teach. I regard it as the most important event combining biology and history in the modern world. Only a handful of events in all of history can even compare in importance. Similar candidates include the industrial revolution, the major world religions, perhaps the […]