Slave Trade Research Paper

Chocolate was previously considered a “delectable symbol of luxury, wealth, and power” (Klein) in the 1500s. Using modern technology, it is now easily produced. While

The premium chocolate industry is a large market in the United States and continues to grow around 10% annually. It is also populated with very strong

One of the most popular food in the world. Chocolate! This delicious food is made from cocoa beans which are grown in pods on tree trunks.The production of cocoa beans have expanded over the years, from South America to the Europeans to the U.S. They originally were grown only in South America until Columbus brought them back from his last voyage. Since then cocoa has only grown in popularity. (Background Essay) The production of chocolate is poor for the Ivory Coast. First, the Ivory Coast isn’t earning enough money from the total income from exporting the cocoa beans for chocolate bars. Second, the agriculture on the Ivory Coast is terrible. Lastly, the cocoa production is affecting the existence of animals on the Ivory Coast.

The younger boys who worked at the mines were called breaker boys. They didn’t work in the mine itself, but sat on benches and picked out the bits of rock from the coal. “These children worked in the picking room, a crowded, high-ceilinged vault, crisscrossed with rickety catwalks and crooked stairs, lit only by a wall of grime-choked windows” (Levine, Marvin J. "Mines, Mills, and Canneries." Children for Hire: The Perils of Child Labor in the United States. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003. 21. Print.) Within factories, small children had to work fast at the machines, being very careful unless an unfortunate body part happens to get caught in the high-powered, dangerous machinery. For several long hours in rooms without fresh air, ventilation, and sometimes, no windows, the working conditions that the children suffered through were appalling. There are children who work in hazardous industries, risking accident and injury; there are others working in conditions that take a slower but definite toll on the children’s health (Basu, Kaushik, and Pham Hoang Van. "The Economics of Child Labor" The Economics of Child Labor (1998): 412-27. Print.).

1. Should labor practices in another country be a relevant consideration in international trade? Why or why not?

While Europe and the United States account for most chocolate consumption, the confection is growing in popularity in Asia and market forecasts are optimistic about the prospects in China and India (Nieburg, 2013, para 9). According to the CNN Freedom Project, the chocolate industry rakes in $83 billion a year, surpassing the Gross Domestic Product of over a hundred nations (“Who consumes the most chocolate,” 2012, para 3).

In the coalmine, it was rare to come across a boy that was in decent shape. “From the cramped position they have to assume, most of them become more or less deformed and bent-backed like old men” (Document A). From this, many kids had hunches at the age of 12. For a 12 year old boy, a workday included hard work “for ten hours at a stretch, for sixty cents a day” (Document A). Not only that, but the job was very dangerous. Cuts and bruises from the col happen all the time and cleanliness is never thought about. Infections take place, and even worse, often “a boy is mangled

Like was said earlier, these children need to get trained before they enter the factory. (Furthermore, these children are balancing on milk crates to do the work) (Document #8). This is nonsense because what if he or she falls and breaks their leg. Indeed, these are all the challenges that children had to face if they worked in the factory but also their living conditions weren’t

Indeed, Document A states that farmers overproduced which caused prices to fall, but it is very evident and far more explanation is given for reasons such as railroads, banks, and the lack of government help.

Eventually there was less land to give away and it became impractical for plantation owners to buy indentured servants. This is what shifted the labor force to African slaves. The slaves are not under a contract like the indentured servants. They worked for the plantation owner for life and then their children worked for life. Punishment for the slaves are physical violence such as whipping, starving, and

Farming crops through the use of slaves (slaves would do all the work without any pay). This idea was present in the south where agriculture was the main source of income due to geography. Slaves provided free labor so plantation owners could gain more profit. While unjust (Separation of families through trade; long, backbreaking work; poor treatment by owners; small rations; whippings and other cruel punishments), this drove the nation forward economically, as factories (textile industry) in the north depended on the farming of the cash-crop cotton in the south. Slavery quickened the process of farming and increased production of mainly cotton for the whole nation. This

Founded in 2000, Cocoa Delights is one of the youngest gourmet chocolate manufacturers in the industry. However we do not view our youth as a weakness, on the contrary, our youth is associated with our two most valued attributes: creativity and innovation.

I will begin my essay with statistics that reflect chocolate production in the United States over the last few years. According to the World Cocoa Foundation, “The U.S. chocolate industry is comprised of approximately 400 companies that manufacture more than 90% of the chocolate and confectionery products; another 250 companies supply those manufacturers.” Chocolate is produced in over thirty American states, and is heavily concentrated in states such as Pennsylvania, New York and California. Hershey, Pennsylvania also known as “Chocolatetown, USA” and “The Sweetest Place on Earth”, is the home to the original Hershey’s Chocolate factory and Hersheypark. The World Cocoa Foundation also reports that “for every dollar of cocoa imported, between one and two

For over one hundred years, there has been only one company that has been on top of the candy industry in North America; Hershey. With over 14,000 employees, serving 70 countries worldwide and net sales of $6.6 billon, Hershey has come out on top. The Hershey company began in 1894 by Milton Hershey. The company has over 8 factories, but their main headquarters resides in Pennsylvania. The beloved Hershey milk chocolate bar has been a favorite by many, but would it still be if more people knew how it came to be that? One of chocolates main ingredients is cocoa. Cocoa, or cocoa beans come from tropical areas around the world, but is mostly found on the Ivory Coast in West Africa. Hershey, along with Mars and Nestle are the three major companies that buy their cocoa from West Africa, but with further investigation, it has been known that over 4,400 children work on those cocoa farms that they buy from.

The premium chocolate market has been growing at 20% annually, showing that buyers are willing to pay more for a better tasting and better quality chocolate. The declining growth of the overall chocolate market and rapid growth of the premium chocolate market is positive for current producers of premium chocolates in that the decline