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Barbados Research Paper

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The effect of sugar cane on both the Island of Barbados and England is one that cannot be understated. Sugar cane production completely revolutionized both the economy and the demographics of Barbados, while also elevating England to height of riches never before seen there.
The island of Barbados is located in the Caribbean Sea, relatively close to what is now Venezuela. Before colonization by the British in the 17th century, the island was uninhabited as the native people, or Indians as Columbus termed them, who had settled the island hundreds of years earlier, had deserted Barbados for more defensible islands when the Spanish began raids to capture and enslave them. The terrain of Barbados did not at first seem appealing to the British …show more content…

By the year 1775, the British Empire possessed far more land and people in the America’s than either of the world’s other dominant powers, the French and the Dutch, combined. From the colonies of the America’s, Barbados included, the English imported sugar, tobacco, and other luxurious goods. According to Greenfield, “The profits from sugar at the time were staggering.” For example, according to Professor Kenneth Morgan, “In 1686 alone, the British colonies in the Americas shipped goods worth over one million pounds to London.” He goes on to say, “By 1797-8, North America and the West Indies received 57 percent of British exports, and supplied 32 percent of imports.” These numbers help to demonstrate just how vast the British Empire was and also help us understand how important colonies such as Barbados were to the English …show more content…

Sugar cane completely changed the demographics, layout of the land, and the population of Barbados. Before English colonization, Barbados was an uninhabited, dense tropical forest; however, within a few decades, the face of the land would be forever changed. The forests would be completely decimated and in their place great fields of sugar cane would stand. The population would also shift from a majority of whites to a majority of black African slaves within this time frame. In England, the wealth and prosperity that followed the colonization of the Americas had never before been seen. Items that were once deemed “luxurious” or that only the wealthy could afford, were now being imported in great quantities from all over the

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