Life in the New Colonies

Illustration of Europeans landing in North America

European explorers arrive in the "New World"

During the early colonial period, life for the colonists and the native populations in the Americas, Asia, and Africa was extremely different from that of populations living in the colonizing countries. As a result of people from different parts of the world coming into contact with one another, ideas, products, and beliefs spread to new regions. As trade expanded, new regional and global trading patterns emerged.

Essential Questions

  • What were the effects of European migration and settlement on the Americas, Africa, and Asia?
  • What was the impact of the Columbian Exchange between European and indigenous cultures?
  • What was the triangular trade?
  • What was the impact of precious metal exports from the Americas?