The Lives of Rural Slaves in Brazilian Sugar Plantations Throughout the 16th century, as there was a demographic collapse of the indigenous population, there was now a new demand for slave labor in Latin America. In Brazil, the Portuguese needed a large workforce to cultivate sugar plantations. As a result, numerous slaves from Africa were imported to work on large plantation fields. In various plantations, rural slaves experienced harsh working and living conditions. Few slaves had a high life expectancy
a. did not need to provide protection for merchants as most trade came by land rather than by sea. b. established a commercial law apart from religion so that all people could participate in trade. c. had Muslim and Jewish trading firms that worked as close partners in trade. d. established a state bank so that the royal family could earn a share of trading profits by lending out money. e. became successful by specializing only in the trade of silks. 3. In the Chinese city of
E SSAYS ON TWENTIETH-C ENTURY H ISTORY In the series Critical Perspectives on the Past, edited by Susan Porter Benson, Stephen Brier, and Roy Rosenzweig Also in this series: Paula Hamilton and Linda Shopes, eds., Oral History and Public Memories Tiffany Ruby Patterson, Zora Neale Hurston and a History of Southern Life Lisa M. Fine, The Story of Reo Joe: Work, Kin, and Community in Autotown, U.S.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and Culture in