The Columbian Exchange

Discussion & Essay Questions

Historian Alfred Crosby argues that Columbus and other European explorers re-knit the torn “seams of Pangaea.” Exactly what does he mean?
What were the most significant achievements and liabilities each continent introduced to the other?
Why did the ecological factors surrounding the re-connecting of the continents favor the Old World? Is there any irony in this?
What if the pattern of exploration was reversed? What if the “New World” discovered and attempted to colonize the “Old?” Assuming they had the technology to launch this effort, could the people of the western hemisphere have succeeded in such an attempt?