The Columbian Exchange: Who benefited, Europe, the Americas, or both?

Columbian Exchange OpenerEuropean explorers and settlers took plants and animals with them to the Americas and also brought back a variety of new plants and animals to Europe, Asia, and Africa. This became known as the COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE.

Rank the single most important item to go in each direction and explain why you ranked it that way

Common core argumentative writing standard

Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically. b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons, and evidence.

Reviewing Definitions of Argument• Argument/Super-Claim: The

overarching idea of an argumentative essay that makes more than one claim

• Claim: a simple statement that asserts a main point of an argument (a side)

• Evidence: support for the reasoning in an argument; the “for example” aspect of an argument; The best evidence is text -based, reasonable, and reliable.

• Reasoning: the “because” part of an argument; the explanation for why a claim is made; the explicit links between the evidence and the claim

• Theorist and critic, Neil Postman (1997) calls argument the soul of an education…When teachers ask students to consider two or more perspectives on a topic or an issue,… students must think critically and deeply, assess the validity of their own thinking and anticipate counterclaims in opposition to their own assertions.

CCSS Appendix A

Examples of super-claims

Example #1: If a question prompt says: Evaluate whether dogs or cats are better: What are the possible SUPER claims you could have?

What is the QUESTION more than likely asking?????

Example #2. If one super claim says…

1) Due to physicality, action, and the overall athletic ability of the players, football is the best sport to watch. and a second super claim says2) Baseball, with its tradition, high skill level, and appeal to fans from many nations, is absolutely the best sport to watch.

Choose one of the above… what are the body paragraphs going to be about based on the claim?

Sample paragraph

Football is absolutely the best sport to watch due to the intense action. For example, on every single play all 22 players on the field are involved. This guarantees that whatever part of the play you focus on, you will always be entertained by something happening. Another fact about the action in football is the play clock. The clock ensures plays are run every minute or so, which once again leads to a more enjoyable watch.

Action is the REASON in the claim, it is what you are PROVING using evidence

The FOR EXAMPLE is the EVIDENCE to PROVE football has more ACTION

After the evidence comes the REASONING. This is where you EXPLAIN how the evidence supports your claim (This shows…)

Now, annotating the documentQuestion: Was the Columbian Exchange beneficial to both Europeans and Native Americans?• Circle any words you do not know (tier TWO words, used in ANY subject)

• Highlight ________ the author’s CLAIM (the side he is taking)

• Highlight _______ EVIDENCE, which are EXAMPLES that explain the claim

• Highlight________ the REASONS/REASONING. These sentences EXPLAIN how the EVIDENCE relates to the author’s CLAIM

• Rate each paragraph 1-3. A 1 means very convincing and well explained evidence. A 2 is a so-so job. A 3 means the author FAILED to convince the reader their claim is true

The Columbian ExchangeBackgroundHumans migrated from Asia to North America approximately 25,000 years B.C. Small groups of Europeans, such as the Vikings, made contact with Native Americans as early as 1000 A.D. However, they made no permanent settlements and had little, if any, long-term impact. In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the west of Europe hoping to reach East Asia. Instead he ran into Americans. This “discovery” led to an extensive exchange of ideas and animal and plant life.

-Summarize the main idea of the BACKGROUND information:

-Based on the title, what is the author’s CLAIM?

Both Sides BenefitedBy “Colombo”

When The Native Americans arrived in North America, the Native American’s were still in a stone age. They relied only on oral tradition to communicate and pass on ideas. They had to hoe fields and cut food with sharp stones. They had to transport products and people on foot. Europeans brought iron-making technology, sailing ships, wheeled vehicles, and a written language. They also brought valuable domesticated animals such as sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, and of course the horse, which instantly improved the lives of tens of thousands of Plains Indians. In about 200 years, the Native American’s took a 2000 year leap forward in technology. Native Americans would have to wait more than 1000 years for automobiles, light bulbs, televisions, and computers if Europeans had not arrived. This technology has improved and lengthened lives. It is estimated that Native American life expectancy was less than 25 years when Europeans arrived. Today, it was nearly tripled. Native Americans live in the wealthiest nation on earth and have the same rights of citizenship and opportunities to succeed as all other Americans.

Native Americans also benefited morally. When the Europeans arrived, Native Americans worshiped real and mythical animals and killed men, women, and children as a sacrifice to them. It is estimated that 5000 people were executed to celebrate Moctezuma II becoming the Aztec king. Europeans put an end to human sacrifice. And today, most Native American descent are members of one Christian church or another. Some historians argue the Europeans brought war and destruction. They claim Native Americans lived in peace with each other before the Europeans arrived. But, that is a myth. When Cortes arrived in Mexico the Tlaxcalans eagerly joined him to fight their historic enemies the Aztecs. Further North, Europeans arrived to find the Huron fighting the Navajo, and hundreds of other ancient conflicts. Despite the ravages of disease, the Native American population in the United States has now caught up to and surpassed what it was when Europeans arrived. When one focuses on what the Europeans willingly brought to North America, it is clear that Native Americans benefitted substantially.

Only the European Benefited By “Metamuza”

When Europeans arrived in the “New World” they were indeed generous. They brought smallpox, malaria, measles, influenza, and bubonic plague. These diseases completely wiped out the 10 million or so Native Americans on the islands and at least ½ of the more than 100 million on the Mainland of North America. But disease is not the only thing that destroyed the Native Americans. Europeans brought devastating war and conflict. It is true that Native Americans fought each other before Europeans arrived. But, such conflicts were in small in scale and effect. Since Native Americans were not capitalist, they were not greedy. Since they did not believe in private property, there were no huge wars to conquer territory. Since their military technology was primitive, deaths in war were rare. In fact, it was usually more important to take prisoners that to kill opponents.

Europeans brought guns and cannons with devastating power. They infected Native Americans with greed, a disease worse than small pox. They brought a capitalist economic system that made conflicts much more common and destructive. Native Americans were sent into the forests to deplete the beaver population in search of furs. The bison were eliminated, denying food and shelter to numerous tribes. Native Americans were forced to specialize in single crop economics creating the ‘sugar islands’ in the Caribbean and the ‘banana republics’ in Central America. Perhaps just as important, Europeans destroyed the self-esteem of Native Americans. Columbus himself summed up the European attitude toward Native Americans in his journal, “They are the best people in the world… They are without knowledge of what evil is, nor do they murder or steal… with fifty men we could subdue them and make servants of them.” Regardless of whether Europeans were converting or enslaving Native Americans, their racism tinged every interaction they had. In European nations ‘owned’ the land. The legacy of racism lives on today.

It is true that Native Americans were technologically inferior to Europeans. But Native Americans were not far behind and would have caught up quickly. They incorporated the concept of zero in their numbering system before Europeans did and developed sophisticated calendars. The Columbian Exchange certainly benefitted Europeans. They acquired corn, the easiest grain to grow. They acquired the potato, which produces four times more calories per acre that European rye. They acquired tomatoes and sweet potatoes and untold numbers of herbal drugs. Native Americans were not so fortunate. In return for their gifts to Europe, their civilizations were destroyed.

Step two Body paragraphs:

Name 2 pieces of evidence and reasoning from the document that was most convincing to you:

Line #’s What Evidence is given to support the claim?

What REASONING explains the evidence?

The Other Side of the IssueLine #’s Opposing Evidence Opposing Reasoning

Now, in groups share your evidence and reasoning with the other side.

Use the accountable talk cards when talking with your group members.

Common Ground and Further QuestionsUsing evidence, we can agree that… We need further clarification on…

1.

1.

2.

2.

Based on the essays, which side was more convincing? Why? In your groups, write a claim that explains your viewpoint.

As a group, fill in the rest of the boxes.

Continue to use your accountable talk cards when talking.

Argumentative writing pieceWas the Columbian Exchange beneficial to both Europeans and Native Americans?1. Based on the essays, which side do you think was more convincing? Why? 2. What piece of evidence/reasoning was MOST convincing to you (include line #’s)? 3. From the opposing viewpoint, what piece of evidence/reasoning was most convincing?

Share with your partner:4. My partner’s claim was:

5. My partner’s best evidence was:

Prompts to use when sharingI agree with __________ because….

I don’t understand _________

Could you explain that to me in another way?

What I heard you say was….