When considering what effects the development of the sugar industry in the British Caribbean had on the structure of society during the 17th century, it becomes apparent that there are various important factors involved that contribute to both the political and economic institutions of the Caribbean. These factors include not only the state of the industry itself, and the effects of its growth upon the social structure of the Caribbean islands that were held by the British. These changes had lasting effects upon the underlying institutions of the cultures that lived there.
There were various impacts that had a profound impact upon the way that these cultures viewed themselves. The development of the sugar industry impacted the economic, social and political structure of the societies of both the Caribbean in a big way. These changes not only effected the way in which the cultures there lived, but the way in which their economic and social structures functioned.
The growing amount of trade that was brought about through the increase in international trade led to the advent of exotic food, and human labor to grow it. In order to meet the demands for this labor, the increase in slave trafficking became a dramatic centerpiece for these changes. “Central to the growth of Atlantic commerce were two commodities: sugar and slaves.” (Annenberg 1) This growth was inevitably wrapped up in the in industries that spawned it.
Figure 1 Slave Trade From Africa To The Americas 1650-1860
The history of slavery throughout the area presents a picture of how important the commodities of their endeavors were to the growing changes in society. These changes ultimate impacted the foundations of the cultures. “The history of Atlantic commerce is inseparable from the history of slavery, and the transfer of both labor and capital across the Atlantic is closely connected with the production of sugar”. (Annenberg 1)
Figure 2White Workers Branding Slaves
Through the increasing need for this production, there were growing demands for cheap labor.
The rising demands for sugar were due to a complex situation and various factors. While the area had previously been dominated by the growing of tobacco, various issues gave rise to the replacement of the crop with sugar. The sugar industry rose in this area as the tobacco production took a hit from the rising competition in the newly established North American colonies. The demand for sugar increased, while at the same time, the production of tobacco was becoming difficult to compete with.
Furthermore, changes to the world’s societies at the time, and the tastes that the citizens were obtaining, caused a higher demand for the product. There were essentially a multitude of individuals who used the product for a variety of things. “After the colonization of India and the Far East, coffee and tea were becoming increasingly popularand hence the demand for sugar as a sweetener for these drinks.” (Cesak 105) Not only were the sugar products used in drinks and used as sweeteners, but they were the product of the change from wheat based to sugar based bread. This fundamentally altered the tastes and needs of the countries citizens.
Figure 3U.S./U.K. Sugar consumption 1700-2000
This rising demand had a profound impact on the cultural situation in the Caribbean itself. The rising demand for sugar caused a fundamental alteration to the structure of farming in the area. This resulted in the replacement of a vast amount of white individuals with those of dark complexion, as slaves replaced workers as the dominant labor force. “At the same time, as the owners of these plantations imported more and more slaves to form the labour force, so the black population increased.” (Cesak 107) This led to profound shifts in the fundamental identity of the society.
These changes were a part of a vast alteration of cultural identities that was going on at the time. Throughout the new world, the rising demands of sugar and the importance of meeting these needs led to the changes in production practices throughout many businesses and farms. “From the very beginning of sugar cultivation in the New World, there were not enough European settlers to satisfy the labor requirements for profitable sugar plantations. Native Americans were enslaved to work on the earliest sugar plantations” (West 2) This enslavement resulted in fundamental shifts to the cultures of the area, causing irreparable damage to their identities and ways of life.
Figure 4 Slaves working on a sugar plantation
This growth within the Caribbean in particular was representative of their ability to capitalize upon the position that their industries had in the world. This dependency on sugar was an opportunity for them. This rise in need of product would ultimately culminate in an economic rise of the British trade goods. This led to an expansion in both business and industry.
These expansions continued to create changes to both the Caribbean societies and the world at large. “There is no question that the slave-based British Atlantic Empire contributed strongly to both the rise of Britain's port cities and to the expansion of industrial activity.” (Knick 22) In essence, the rise of dependency on sugar led to the alteration of both the economic and social frameworks of the Caribbean islands and the importance that they held in regard.
Figure 5 Distribution of Slave Imports compared to the Caribbean
Works Cited
Annenberg, John. The Creation of an Atlantic Economy: Sugar and Slaves. Bridging
World History. 2004.
Cesak, Jodie. The Sugar Revolution. Caribbean History. 2008.
Harley, C. Knick. Slavery, The British Atlantic Economy And the Industrial Revolution.
Discussion Papers in Economic and Social History. University of Oxford. 2013.
H. Hobhouse. Seeds of Change: Five Plants that Tranformed Mankind. Harper & Row.
New York. 1986.
West, Jean M. Sugar and Slavery: Molasses to Rum to Slaves. Slavery in America. 2005.
Figure 1 Slave Trade From Africa To The Americas 1650-1860. The effects of European
colonisation on Africans through the Slave Trade. 8 Global History. http://8globalhistory.wikispaces.com/The+effects+of+European+colonisation+on+Africans+through+the+Slave+Trade.
Firgure 2 White Workers Branding Slaves. Tales of the British Empire.
http://talesofthebritishempire.blogspot.com/2010/09/sugar-slaves-british-west-
indies.html.
Figure 3U.S./U.K. Sugar consumption 1700-2000. The Peper Perspective.
http://peperperspective.com/2013/03/03/cut-out-the-sugar-and-simple-processed- carbohydrates-it-is-toxic/.
Figure 4 Slaves working on a sugar plantation. My Family and Other Slaves.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/books/article-2179429/My-family-slaves-SU
GAR-IN-THE-BLOOD-A-FAMILYS-STORY-OF-SLAVERY-AND-EMPIRE-BY-ANDREA-STUART.html.
