HISTORY SBA

Group:

Jaheim Brown

Jahiem Cole

Theodore Morgan

Teacher: Mr. Darling

Centre Number: 100052

 Table of Contents

Area of Research

Acknowledgement

Rationale

Introduction

Body

Conclusion

Bibliography
Area of Research

Theme: Caribbean Economy and Slavery

Topic: Social, political and economic consequences of these changes.

Research Question: Is it fair to say that the Sugar Revolution only produced economic

consequences?

Thesis: The Sugar Revolution did create significant economic consequences as well as social

and political consequences.

 Acknowledgement

The researchers would firstly like to thank Almighty God in Heaven for providing strength and

granting ability upon researchers to complete this research paper. The researchers also would like

to thank their parents and Jamaica College’s librarian for assisting in gaining sources to complete

this research. The researchers thank last but not least their teacher Mr. Darling for his continued

guidance and assisting in properly formatting and completing the research paper.
 Rationale

The researchers chose the topic due to a YouTube documentary the researchers watched together

in class, the documentary was about the impact of the Sugar Revolution on the Caribbean and

had mentioned economic impacts but did not grow in depth with it. This sparked the researchers’

interest in the economic impacts of the Sugar Revolution and led to researchers wanting to

research on these economic impacts. The topic is important to conduct research on because today

people are affected in economic status which came from the Sugar Revolution.

The researchers will conduct research by visiting the National library of Jamaica and the Jamaica

College library and online sources for primary and secondary sources to attain information. The

other areas to be examined are the causes of the Sugar Revolution and the political and social

impacts.
 Introduction

The SBA will examine how the Sugar Revolution created economic consequences. The Sugar

Revolution was the major economic change from tobacco to sugar in the 17th century that began

in Barbados in the year 1645 (Baldeosingh & Mahase, pg 34). The Sugar Revolution was a result

of several factors. The main factor is the competition from West Virginia, whereby the West

Virginians were producing better quality tobacco for cheaper (Pg 34). Prior to the Sugar

Revolution, the Caribbean economy was tobacco based and tobacco the cash crop but by the 17th

century was replaced by sugar (Hyman, 2017). Another cause of the Sugar Revolution was the

viability of sugar, as it had several advantages; it was not too bulky, it could be transported in

small ships and it was not a perishable product (Hyman,2017). The 3rd known cause of the

Revolution was the growing demand for sugar as a sweetener as the popularity of tea drinking

increased (Hyman,2017). Based on these causes the Sugar Revolution also had consequences.

The Sugar Revolution created significant economic consequences as well as social and political

consequences.
Body

The Sugar Revolution did create significant economic consequences in the 17th century, this is

indeed a fact however the revolution also created political as well as social consequences in the

17th century. Therefore, it is not fair to say that the 17th century Sugar Revolution only created

economic consequences.

As the economy of sugar grew and became more profitable there was an increased demand for

land to grow the sugarcane (Baldeosingh & Mahase, pg 35). This resulted in the increase in land

price (pg 35). This point is supported by Belizehistorysjc.com use of statistics whereas the

articles gives an example of the increase in price. For example, a parcel of land of about 10 acres

had been sold for £25 in 1630, which gives an average price of under £3 an acre. In 1648, when

the sugar revolution was almost complete in Barbados, land was over £30 an acre

(Belizehistorysjc.com). Both sources display the economic consequence of the increase in the

price of land and supported the researchers view that the Sugar Revolution did create economic

consequences in the 17th century. The sources show how the revolution significantly impacted

the price of land on islands as the price of an acre of land was now 10 times its original cost in

the economy prior to the Sugar Revolution. The industry high demand for sugar resulted in the

large scale shift from small tobacco plots to large sugar plantations (Baldeosingh & Mahase, pg

35). This source clarified the argument that the Sugar Revolution created economic effects as the

source states that there was a change in the size of the land used for agriculture for the purpose of

the cultivation of sugar. According to B.W Higman, the characteristics of the Sugar Revolution

were; “A shift from diversified agriculture to sugar mono-culture, from production on small

farms to large plantations.” This quotation further supports the argument that the Sugar

Revolution created economic consequence. These sources main argument/point is also reinforced
by the quotation: “For sugar to be economically profitable, it needed large estates, so the average

size was 150 acres” (Richard Ligon, pg 18). In other words, if it was below this amount, then the

estate tended not to be profitable (“Effects of Sugar Revolution- Economic Essay”, 2016).

Basically what these sources are saying is if the land mass was below the minimum 150 acres

then little profit would be made from the industry.

The shift from diversified agriculture to mono-culture was another economic consequence of the

Sugar Revolution. There was a shift in the primary cash crop to sugar from tobacco (“What did

the Sugar Revolution entail?”, 2015). In addition, the online article “The Changes- The Sugar

Revolution in the British West Indies”, 2017 is in agreement to the argument that the Sugar

Revolution made the Caribbean monocrop. Planters gained higher profits from sugar cultivation

and because of this, they decided to solely focus on that one crop (The Changes- The Sugar

Revolution in the British West Indies, 2017). These sources once again justify the researchers’

argument that the Sugar Revolution did create economic consequences. The great profitability

influenced the economy to market the sugar crop. Both sources clarify that the Sugar Revolution

created the economic consequence of turning the economy monocrop and is in agreement with

researchers’ argument.

Free labor to slavery since the size of the land increased there was a requirement for a larger

labor force (The Changes- The Sugar Revolution in the British West Indies, 2011). It is the

researchers’ understanding that since the main crop changed and the size of land increased more

hands were needed to work on plantations. Sugar demanded a larger and stronger labor force and

the few whites, that were working tobacco plots, were insufficient or unsuitable for the

cultivation of sugar cane (The Changes- The Sugar Revolution in the British West Indies, 2011).

Therefore, the British turned to West Africa where they relied heavily on Africans who were
imported from West Africa to the Caribbean, via the middle passage. Africans were the best buy

for European planters as they were cheaper, prone to diseases and tropical climate (The Changes-

The Sugar Revolution in the British West Indies, 2011). The source states the Africans were

suited for the estate labor hence why they replaced the indentured laborers, so this justifies the

argument that the Sugar Revolution created economic consequences. According to Dr. Eric

Williams, “It was not the color of the laborer but the cheapness of the laborer.” Africans also

allowed for the plantation owners to save money and made planters wealthy (Effects of Sugar

Revolution, 2011). Wealthy enough to go back to Europe and live in comfort and style. The 17th

century Sugar Revolution also funded British industrialization (Effects of Sugar Revolution,

2011). England collected taxes and duties and shared in the profits of the sugar industry. This is

another instance which shows that the Sugar Revolution created economic as well as social

consequence. The revolution did create economic consequence but also created social

consequences.

In addition to all of the above, there were other consequences of the Sugar Revolution. The

Sugar Revolution brought about a change in the size and composition of the population of each

island (Belizehistorysjc.com). As the owners of the plantations imported more and more slaves

to form the labor force, the black population increased (Belizehistorysjc.com). In 1645 the white

population in Barbados was approximately 18000 and the black population was 5500. By 1660

the white population was 20000 to the blacks’ population of 30000 (Belizehistorysjc.com). This

source showed that exactly 24500 slaves were imported to the island in the space of 15 years

while only 2000 whites came along in the same period. This clarifies the researchers’ argument

that the Sugar Revolution not only created economic consequences but also created social

consequences. The difference over the 15 years shows how brutal plantation owners were in
gaining the labor force. Another figure which supports this argument was the population in

Jamaica in 1746 whereas there were 10000 whites and 112500 blacks. This represented a

difference of 102500 blacks over whites. This shows the extent to which the Sugar Revolution

created a social consequence. There was a huge influx of blacks working on the plantation

which changed the society ratio (Belizehistorysjc.com). Furthermore, before the trade ended, the

Caribbean took approximately 47% of 10 million African slaves, which works out to be

4,700,000 slaves (The Sugar Revolutions and Slavery). The source shows the extent to which the

Sugar Revolution also created social consequences by completely changing the dominant race in

the Caribbean.

Moreover, the Sugar Revolution also caused new laws to be introduced to regulate and define the

relationship between masters and slaves (Effects of Sugar Revolution, 2011). This caused the

beginning of classism in the territories. Another effect of the Sugar Revolution was the formation

of a new social structure. The enslaved Africans were categorized based on their skin color and

occupation; the lighter their skin determined their sub category in the social order (The Changes-

The Sugar Revolution in the British West Indies, 2011). The enslaved were divided into two

groups: Praedials and Non-Praedials. Praedials were field slaves and had to work on the

plantation while Non-Praedials were domestic slaves who worked in their master’s mansion as

cooks, nurses, housekeeper, and other jobs (The Changes- The Sugar Revolution in the British

West Indies, 2011). The Non-Praedials however had a better lifestyle than the field slaves

because they lived in proper housing and ate leftover food from master’s family and properly

dressed (The Changes- The Sugar Revolution in the British West Indies, 2011). This shows how

the Sugar Revolution caused classism amongst the enslaved Africans by dividing them into
groups, the source clarified the argument that the revolution however caused social consequence

as it caused social class division between the enslaved people.

The Sugar Revolution introduced a new breed of people. These were the mulattoes and were the

offspring of the whites and blacks (Effects of Sugar Revolution, 2011). This source showed how

the Sugar Revolution further created another social consequence and clarified the researchers’

thesis. The researchers’ view is that the revolution created a new race of people as white and

black were mixed to form this breed of people. Society became highly stratified- a person was

now judged firstly upon the color of their skin and then wealth (Effects of Sugar Revolution,

2011). This supported the researchers’ argument that the Sugar Revolution also created social

consequence. The argument of social stratification is further supported by other sources. Race

was a central determinant of status. There were three racial groups: whites, mulattoes and blacks

(British Rule- Britannica), basically this source is saying the revolution divided the colonies into

groups of people. Proving researchers’ argument.

Apart from the extensive economic and social consequences, the Sugar Revolution also created

political consequence. The system of government changed from proprietorship to representative

system. Under the representative system there was introduction of a governor appointed by the

British Crown and this governor administered the colony with hand-picked officials

(Hyman,2017). This states the independence once had by people was gone as the governor now

made the rules of the colony. This justifies the researchers’ argument that the Sugar Revolution

not only created economic and/or social consequence.

Conclusion