Ecological Imperialism and the Columbian Exchange, consequences of discovery.

	Germs, Seeds & Animals

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The Columbian Exchange A. Euro-american blend occurred that was crops to Europe & livestock to the Americas. B. Three waves of Euro-dominance Phase One: initial foothold in Antilles spread to the Americas - 1500s encomienda and hacienda systems slavery of: indigenous enslavement was not a success always failed in the Antilles was opposed by the Church on the mainland despite Creole support African, Negro slavery was a substitute labor and control system Phase Two: population explosion / decline - 1600-1820s rise of Neo-Britains, Neo Spains, Neo-Franco huge export of livestock, grains, people European peasant numbers increased Neo-Darwinism Phase Three: populations experience adaptive radiation - 1880s European population, livestock, and food all increased Enormous migration of European peasant class to cities and overseas Abolition of slavery led to the import of Asian labor in the colonies Colonial rivalry in its last manifestation: UK, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, and the USA culminating in The partition of Africa, China and southeastern Asia : World War One, 1914-1918. *World War Two, 1932 (in China), 1939-1945 and* The Cold War, 1045-1989, and the ending of European colonialism. 2. Ecological Imperialism Three ingredients in European success weeds colonized entire areas because their was no competition, animals and livestock spread, often to the dtriment of native plant foods, pathogens (few % of lethal bacteria wiped out indigenous people). Ecological pyramid, found in any ecosystem The top of the pyramid represents fewer numbers. Top level predators = people CONSUMERS = animals PRODUCERS = plants Base = bacteria and pathogens The base of the pyramid represents greater numbers. What is an ecosystem, technically speaking? 3. Biological Changes metamorphosis, the elements of: disease, plants, animals due to: isolation demographic density fortunate mix of new world plants and old world animals no predators 4. British Empire Neo-Britain’s land had favorable climate and benefited from phase two of a European population explosion and a leveling off of indigenous declines. Unprecedented European population growth doubled every 20 to 40 years 5. Infectious Disease 6. Virgin Soil Epidemics 7. God would punish them. Europeans often found vacant land, previously cultivated (Va. & Mass.) They mistakenly blamed “Providence” – God’s will for their success Indigenous people had no immunity to the epidemic diseases and thus lost their faith in the healing capacity of their “extended family-pow-wow” approach to health. Europeans were reinforced by their success to think that Christian faith destined them to succeed – laid the foundations for concepts of mission and manifest destiny. 9. American crops in Europe A simple thesis: during the 1500s and 1600s the vegetable crops of corn, squash, potatoes and beans, to name but a few, caused a rise in European and Asian nutrition levels and fueled and explosion in populations of both humans and their livestock. by the 1700s and the 1800s, population growth hit record levels in Eurasia and these excess numbers of Europeans and Chinese, or East Indians then migrated to the Americas and founded healthier populations in new colonies among the existing indigenous, or earlier European and African migrants. 10 The American Character. "maize was lavishly advantageous." p. 172 "John Winthrop wrote from Connecticut in the 1680s that it [Maize] had been the usual diet of 'first Planters in these Parts,' and was still a common food. A half-century later PeterKalm recorded that while "traveling in America one sees miles of nothing but maize fields." by 1850: six times the amount of corn than wheat was groown in the US. "maize was the primary or at least the secondary staple in the diet of a great mass of people. . . ." p. 173 . metamorphosis, literally to change shape or take on another shape or form, figuratively the ability to transform beyond recognition. Crosby The Future requires that we will have to retreat from the shore, due to melting glaciers, but exactly how far and to what extent we can make the transition is revealed by the difficulties we can see in the Columbian exchange.