The international sugar trade (1500-present) had many effects on the global economy and society. It allowed and facilitated the mistreat of slaves based of the demand for sugar, as sugar was of such high demand that slaves would be murdered for not working hard enough, or killed by the machines they worked with. In contrast to this negative effect, sugar helped post trade and bolster some countries’ economies, such as Great Britain’s mercantile system and economy receiving a major boost because of sugar. Another positive effect of the sugar trade was the improved development of mechanics and technology, with machines being built to automate production of sugar, which helped towards the creation of automated factories and production lines. …show more content…
Our documents have many examples of this, showing peoples’ views on slavery and personal accounts. In Document 3 Sir Thomas Lynch is quoted as writing "plantations are subject to abundance of ill accidents, especially Sugar works, because they have so many Machines". The document also stated that slaves could be killed just from small accidents. This shows that people had such a high demand for sugar, that they were willing to allow people to die just to get their fix of sugar. Document 1 shows the view of philosopher Voltaire in his French satire “Candide”. The excerpt of the book has a slave missing a leg and hand because of poor work at the sugar mills. This further backs up my earlier inference that people cared more about sugar than the well-being of other humans. The demand for sugar became kept becoming higher, feeding this mistreatment, as sugar became a drug of …show more content…
Alternatives to sugar was also created, along with new plantation complex for sugar (Document 7). Upon slavery being abolished in most countries, large sugar plantation complexes were built for the mass production of sugar. This would lead help lead to modern legal plantation for fruits and vegetables. Document 3 quotes an unknown man talking about faulty automated machines. These automatic machines would later be refined and turned into modern day fast production lines; faster production with less labor, more
Greed is the undertone upon which Douglass states that slavery “corrupted souls” and “turned good people into bad people.” The institution of slavery was based on the ultimate control and power over a human to whom he is stripped of all of his identity and becomes sub-human. Consequently, the institution forces slave holders had to buy into this concept in order to justify any and all cruelty toward slaves. Douglas states “Slave holders resort to all kinds of cruelty” and later describes various ways of torture and punishment “all are in requisition to keep the slave in his condition as a slave in the United States” (Douglass 272). Slave holders showed no mercy when reprimanding slaves. The brutality and cruelty of these punishments were more of a statement of power and control and often times the punishment was worse than the offense.
The author's purpose for writing Sugar Changed the World was to reveal the positive and negative impacts of the sugar industry, such as Sugar led to the spread of liberty and freedom and Sugar led to the expansion of slavery. . Also, the authors’ response to the conflicting viewpoints about the idea that ancient people used sugar as a spice to hide the taste of rancid food is a myth. One positive impact of sugar was sugar led to the spread of liberty and freedom. On page 42 it states slave owners fought back arguing that owners should be able list their slaves as property, 1776 the slaves were freed when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Showing that there was actually a positive impact on sugar, the already owned
In turn, the Sugar Act would help Britain to have a monopoly on the sugar trade by imposing taxes and strict enforcement on sugar and molasses imported from other non-British Colonies; specifically, in connection to the Greenland and Eastland trades (http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/sugar_act_1764.asp). By doing so, the Colonies would be more inclined to do business with Britain, in turn, would benefit from the increase in sugar and molasses prices (Britannica). In sum, the Sugar Act provided Britain with increased influence on the sugar trade and an increase for its price of
Slaves were a main reason for the increase in sugar crops. The trading of slaves was already increasing at the time and therefore made obtaining them even easier. Document 10 show the correlation between slave population and sugar produced. It demonstrates how an increase in slaves produced an increase in sugar. Slaves provided a simple and easy way to maintain the sugar crops. Document 11 lists items that English merchants used to purchase slaves. The list includes ordinary things such as powder, toys, and brass pans that could be bought in markets.
Another consequence of the slave life is shown in document k. “It is to the cheapness of the labour of these poor people that those costly and extensive works, which are necessary in a sugr plantation are derived.” Slaves were not paid for their labor, slaves only had an original price when sold to a master, after that slaves worked without pay. However slaves were not the only ones who lived with consequences. Document E explains the health consequences for consuming sugar. “Children greatly injure their gums and teeth by eating sugar, and sweet things, whereas (cavity filled) teeth and corroded gums are most evidently owing to improper food for children.” Sugar if consumed too much, could affect the health of children and most likely adults as well. All in all, the sugar trade had consequences which included slavery and the health of the general public.
In Sugar Changed the World by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos, it is often brought up that the history of sugar had both positive and negative impacts on the world’s economic state, and many things happened because of that. The authors’ perspective for writing Sugar Changed the World is to show the reader how the sugar harvest impacted the world positively. They respond to conflicting viewpoints by acknowledging the opposing viewpoint, comparing the two, and approaching them with evidence and reasoning that supports and contradicts both ideas. The authors’ perspective for writing Sugar Changed the World is to show the reader how the sugar harvest impacted the world positively and how they respond to conflicting viewpoints by acknowledging them
The crops grown on plantations and the slavery system changed significantly between 1800-1860. In the early 1800s, plantation owners grew a variety of crops – cotton, sugar, rice, tobacco, hemp, and wheat. Cotton had the potential to be profitable, but there was wasn’t much area where cotton could be grown. However, the invention of the cotton gin changed this - the cotton gin was a machine that made it much easier to separate the seeds from cotton. Plantation owners could now grow lots of cotton; this would make them a lot of money. As a result, slavery became more important because the demand for cotton was high worldwide. By 1860, cotton was the main export of the south. The invention of the cotton gin and high demand for cotton changed
With these machines plantation owners could create more prophet with agriculture surplus along with hiring cheaper labor other wise know as slaves. Cotton production called for a large amount of unskilled laborers. This caused slavery to be ideal and almost perfect for the South in their eyes of the situation. By the 1830’s the S0uth was producing 2million bails of cotton per year. The difference between the two different sides of the country caused two to clash.
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.
Globalization deals with the break down of traditional boundaries in the face of increasingly global financial and cultural trends. It is a process that results in the growing interconnectedness of the world. Globalization is understood as the force that promotes the global interdependence of economies, political systems, and societies. It creates a complex system of exchanges of goods, services, people, wealth, knowledge, and beliefs. Both Timothy Brook’s Vermeer’s Hat and Sidney Mintz’s Sweetness and Power deal with the role of commodities in world history. Mintz analyzes the history of sugar production and consumption in Europe. Mintz discusses how the fall of sugar as a luxurious and exotic product to a necessity for the most common of the working class was able to command a revolution in diet and lifestyle, during industrialization and the rise of capitalism. Brook tells the story of tobacco’s route from the Americas to Europe. As tobacco became a commercial crop, it allowed for a new system of trade, further connecting Europe, the Americas, and Africa. Both works highlight the importance of each respective commodity in the linking of the global community. The integration of both sugar and tobacco in global trade had a profound impact on the power structures of society in the seventeenth century.
In the Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass: an American Slave, written by himself, the author argues that slaves are treated no better than, sometimes worse, than livestock. Douglass supports his claim by demonstrating how the slaves were forced to eat out of a trough like pigs and second, shows how hard they were working, like animals. The author’s purpose is to show the lifestyle of an American slave in order to appeal to people’s emotions to show people, from a slave’s perspective, what slavery is really like. Based on the harsh descriptions of his life, Douglass is writing to abolitionist and other people that would sympathize and abolish slavery.
Another example of slave master’s methods to dehumanize slaves were the living conditions provided to slaves. Along with the lashings and severe punishment to which slaves were often subjected, they were also kept half-starved. As Douglass writes, “They [Henrietta and Mary] seldom knew what it was to eat a full meal.” Douglass adds, “I have seen Mary contending with the pigs for the offal thrown into the street.” (pp. 411-412) This reveals how slave masters would not feed slaves adequate portions of food, which led to many slaves being extremely thin and malnourished. Knowledge of such despicable acts happening to one's family can only inspire feelings of despise, disgust and hatred. Douglass, however, used this as fuel to inspire his freedom.
By then, sugar and consumer items like it had become too important to permit an archaic protectionism to jeopardize future metropolitan supplies. Sugar surrendered its place as luxury and rarity and became the first mass-produced exotic necessity of a proletarian working class.
During the development of the colonies and the nation as a whole, slaves were utilized in order to produce the crops and perform laborious tasks that were “below” white people. In the 1660s, there was an increased demand for tobacco products as well as indigo and rice in England (“African American Slavery in the Colonial Era, 1619-1775”). In order to fulfill the demand, there was a spike in interest in purchasing slaves. More and more slaves were needed to produce larger amounts of crops for the plantation owners.
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