In 1–2 sentences, use one of the primary sources discussed in this lesson to create an argument about the significance of the Columbian Exchange and the transatlantic slave system to European expansion

Answer 1

The Columbian Exchange facilitated European expansion by significantly altering agricultural practices and diets in Europe through the introduction of New World crops, while the transatlantic slave system provided the labor necessary for the exploitation of these resources, thereby accelerating economic growth and colonial dominance. This interplay between enhanced productivity from exchanged goods and the grim reality of enslaved labor created a foundation for Europe’s global supremacy in the centuries that followed.