Sugar Revolution

818189 The “Engine” of the Sugar Trade Over one generation in Britain, the consumption of sugar quadrupled, sending a shockwave to the economy. This was during the eighteenth century, when sugar was being produced at a fast rate as sugar cane was being harvested and processed in the Caribbean by slaves from Africa, then being shipped to Britain to meet the high demand of the British. The “engine” behind the trade of this sugar was the combined force of Britain’s demand for the sugar, the ever growing slave trade, and the money invested by British people.

During the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries the sugar trade was driven by high consumer demand, and the slave trade.

In doc. 1, a map is shown. This map shows all of the islands and larger land masses that are perfect for the growing of sugarcane in central America. Many countries decided to take advantage of this and made central America the capital of the sugar trade. Thousands of plantations took root and out of them came the flourishing sugar trade. Without the fertile land, the trade would never have started and because of the land, the sugar trade was driven forward to become an enormous industry. To continue, in document 2 it shows just how perfect the land was for growing sugar cane. The climates of two islands, Jamaica and Barbados are almost exactly alike to the ideal climate for growing. In that same region there were tens of more islands, all perfect for growing sugar. Without this perfect land and climate, the sugar trade would never have developed or driven forward and without the sugar trade, England would never have become the global empire that it

The rise of sugar as a commodity in England situated England as the world’s leading consumer. The increasing popularity of coffeehouses among middle-class English people, as well the introduction of tea from China, fueled the counties. England’s growing interest in coffee and tea greatly increased the demand for sugar leading to a significant effect on Africa and its people. The high English demand for sugar required land to expand sugar plantations, and an efficient source of labor to produce, creating a connection between all three. For example, if there was not enough demand, there would have been no point in planting sugar and if cheap labor could not be obtained, it would not be worth doing so on such a large scale because it would have been expensive and unprofitable. Since they had all these contributing factors in their favor the British were able to gain profit from sugar plantations, which worked as a significant contributor towards their economy. To meet the land requirements the British picked their Caribbean colonies because of their control of that region and its climate. After finding the land for plantations, England had to find the source of labor to work these plantations. The English turned into Africa for cheap slave labor. The British had tried the local Caribbeans to work on the plantations but these people were already affected by the diseases that were brought to the area by Europeans. As a result, there were not many Caribbean people to work the

It was the largest producer of sugar, and also the most valuable sugar producing colony, with much as eighty-eight thousand tons of sugar were being processed annually. In addition to the massive amounts of sugar being produced in Haiti, it was also a large producer of a variety of other commodities, one of which being coffee which it produced about thirty-seven thousand tons annually. Even further, the commodities that were being exported from Haiti totalled approximately one third of France’s external commerce. Moreover, a tremendous amount of the sugar that was being consumed in France came from Haiti. However, it was not exclusively France who was indulging on the commodities being produced and exported here, as the United States had participated as well. As a matter of fact, about all of the sugar and other commodities, such as molasses, that was being consumed in the United States had been imported from Haiti. The mass production of all the commodities did not happen by itself, but rather it happened due to the intensive labour of the slave population.

This resulted in a labor change similar to that in the West Indies. The work necessary to grow rice and export it to England was brutal, so slaves were constantly being imported from Africa to replace those who had died. This continual supply of slaves resulted in a black majority in 1705 which grew until 80% of the population in rice-growing areas of South Carolina was made up of Africans.

(Devore, Lecture #3.) Even though most of the credit was issued from England, it allowed the colonists to buy more things and further strengthen and enhance the cohesiveness of the colonies. By this time the colonies had already well established external trade relationships with both the Indians and other countries. One of their major trade partners was the West Indies, where the colonists procured molasses from which they made rum. (Devore, Lecture #3.) All of these economic developments – consumerism amongst the colonies, Anglicizing of the colonies, the newfound availability and use of credit and the abundance of external trade – play a major role in the reasons that lead up to the American Revolution.

Although there are many more factors that could be taken into account I believe that the increase in demand for sugar, the low price of slaves in West Africa, and the amount of islands under British control with tropical weather are the main reasons why the sugar trade was

During its early years, Jamestown was a troubled colony to say the least; only 20% of those settlers who attempted to colonize Jamestown in the first decade after its foundation were still alive in 1616 (Foner 57). Although the colony had somewhat stabilized itself politically by 1618 with the help of John Smith (Foner 58), it continued to struggle to function through the early 17th century; this is exemplified by the fact that, although people were cooperating in the colony more, it was still failing to produce revenue, which ultimately resulted in the original owners of the colony, the Virginia Company, to accept defeat and grant control of the colony via the charter to the British monarchy (Foner 60). This shows that without economic stability, Jamestown could not establish true political stability. The colony of Jamestown, ultimately, could only find true political stability through first establishing economic stability. That economic stability was granted to it from tobacco. It provided massive profits both for tobacco planters and also for the British government (Foner 61). Although Virginia still struggled with the aforementioned issues, once it was heavily profitable, its status as a colony was far more secure. Had it not been for this economic value, it can be assumed that the British populace and government would have given up on it and it would have become the third of Britain’s failed colonies. If this had occurred as opposed to Britain receiveing financial return due to the tobacco plant’s profits, Britain’s presence as a colonizing force in the Americas may never have come to fruition, and the political history of the Americas would have been drastically

Mainly slaves were used to make sugar, and would be forced to go days on end doing so. Sugar making is a long process, so there were many different jobs for slaves to do (Doc 8). Over time, with the increasing demand for sugar, more and more slaves were used to produce sugar. With more slaves, meant more sugar, which meant a higher demand for it, causing an endless slave-sugar cycle (Doc 9). Slaves were not originally primarily focused on sugar. They worked on iron forging, bullets, glass, powder, and other goods. But, because of high demand, slaves were eventually focused on sugar (Doc 10). Slaves were cheap, reliable sources used to prepare sugar. Slaves had many jobs, and, for high demand, mainly made sugar. They drove the Sugar Trade by becoming the fastest main source of

Also, this far way land allowed owners of the plantations to perform their business easily by having other people do the work for them. Document 7 lists four of the largest plantation owners of the Caribbean. In each description it states that the owners were absentees, meaning they indeed performed their business from England rather than at the site. The lands of the Caribbean allowed sugar

Sugar has been a staple in the diets of Europeans for centuries. From desserts to tea, sugar has been added to everything. While it is unhealthy in large doses, the demand for the saccharide does not falter. Before sugar could be mass produced by machines, much of the labor was done by slaves. While this benefitted white Europeans, they were the only ones to have profited from this new sugar craze. The African population suffered immensely from the sugar industry as the working conditions of sugar plantations were brutal and they had no civil rights as slaves.

The cause and effects of the Haitian Revolution have played, and continue to play, a major role in the history of the Caribbean. During the time of this rebellion, slavery was a large institution throughout the Caribbean. The success of the sugar and other plantations was based on the large slave labor forces. Without these forces, Saint Domingue, the island with the largest sugar production, and the rest of the Caribbean, would face the threat of losing a profitable industry.

When most people think about sugar, their first thoughts are not: heart disease, addiction, or slow and painful death; yet, unfortunately, these conditions are very real consequences of the unregulated and excessive consumption of sugar. In Nature’s article, “The Toxic Truth About Sugar” (2012), Robert Lustig, pediatric endocrinologist; Laura Schmidt, Professor of Health Policy at UCSF; and Claire Brindis, Professor of Pediatrics and Health Policy at UCSF, evaluate the world’s ever-increasing and toxic struggle with the substance sugar – also discussing counter measures to promote healthier diets amongst American’s and other societies. Lustig and his colleagues develop their argument using statistical evidence as they address the global impact of sugar, refuting minor oppositions, before dissecting each harmful aspect of the substance – even comparing it to substances more known for their toxicity. Eventually, presenting readers with possible routes of regulation, the authors firmly suggest government intervention in the production and sale of sugary foods. Although the argument is well executed, I remain unconvinced that government intervention is actually necessary.

Many historians justify that the evolving of the industrial revolution was based on slavery and mainly the triangular trade. The triangular trade was the route taken by Europeans to transport goods to Africa in exchange for slaves to be taken to the Americans. The triangular trade was seen as the first system of global commerce which linked Britain, Africa and the Americans. The most important colonies for the sugar growth were West Indies islands. During the 17th and the 18th century Dutch settlers in Brazil had perfected their sugar cultivation at the same time the triangular trade was taking place between America, Britain and Africa. As the