One big result of exploration was the Columbian Exchange, which was the movement of plants, animals, people, and ideas between Europe, Africa, and the Americas after Christopher Columbus’s voyages. This exchange changed the world—Europeans brought horses, wheat, and sugar to the Americas, and they took back things like potatoes, corn, and tomatoes. While this led to new foods and farming tools that helped people live better, it also caused problems, like the spread of diseases that hurt Native American populations and the beginning of the Atlantic slave trade. So, exploration and the Columbian Exchange had both good and bad effects that shaped history. Here is a FREE worksheet to use in your class on the topic!
