Final answer:
Hip Hughes emphasizes the significant changes due to the Columbian Exchange, particularly the import of new crops to the Old World and the devastating impact of European diseases on New World Indigenous populations.
Step-by-step explanation:
When discussing the New and Old World, Hip Hughes highlights the profound changes brought about by the Columbian Exchange. This exchange included the transfer of crops, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Old World (Europe, Asia, and Africa) and the New World (the Americas). The Old World benefited from new crops such as potatoes and maize, which revolutionized diets and agriculture. However, it was the New World that was most affected by new diseases introduced by Europeans. Diseases such as smallpox led to mass losses in Indigenous populations, who had no prior exposure or immunity to these illnesses. The influx of diseases, combined with the impacts of colonization, resulted in what has been termed the Native American Holocaust, with a significant decline in the number of Indigenous people.