SCHOOL BASED

ASSESSMENT
Caribbean History

Year: 2024

Name of Student:

Name of School:

Name of Teacher:

Registration #: 090100

Student’s number: 0901000612

Title of Study: What were the circumstances which give rise to the sugar revolution in the

West Indies in the 17 Century and the consequences?

1|Page
 SCHOOL BASED
ASSESSMENT
Caribbean History

Year: 2024

Name of Student:

Name of School:

Name of Teacher:

Registration #: 090100

Student’s number: 090100_ _ _ _

Title of Study: What were the circumstances which give rise to the sugar revolution in the

West Indies in the 17 Century and the consequences?

2|Page
 Table of contents
Acknowledgement……………………………………………………..………….4
Title of Study………………………………………………………..…………….5
Rationale……………………………………………………………..……………6
Research Paper……………………………………………………….…………..7
Bibliography……………………………………………………………………..10
Mark Scheme

3|Page
 Acknowledgement
The completion of this SBA would not have been possible without acknowledging the
contributions of others. I want to express my sincere gratitude to various individuals.

First, I want to extend my appreciation to my teacher for providing the initial framework,
offering guidance and explaining any confusion of this SBA, providing assistance whenever
needed. Secondly, I am deeply thankful to my parents for their support which was important for
the successful submission of this SBA.

Finally, I would like to express my thanks to my classmates for their assistance whenever
it was required.

4|Page
 Title of Study
What were the circumstances which gave rise to the sugar revolution in the West Indies in the
17th Century and the consequences?

5|Page
 Rationale
The researcher chose to do research on this topic for the SBA to meeting the objectives
which are: to research the circumstances that give rise to the Sugar Revolution in the West Indies
in the 17th Century and to investigate the consequences that the Sugar Revolution had on the
West Indies in the 17th Century. From this research the research is presumed to learn about the
Sugar Revolution in the West Indies in the 17th Century, the circumstances that give rise to the
Sugar Revolution in the 17th Century and the consequences that were resulted from the Sugar
Revolution in the 17th Century.

6|Page
 Research Paper
In the 17th century, there was a big shift in what people were growing for money in the
English and somewhat in the French islands. They went from growing tobacco to growing sugar.
This change happened quickly and had a big impact, which is why people called it a revolution.
The change had serious effects on the whole Caribbean. Some of these effects included a shift in
the population from mostly white to mostly black, changes in the size of land that people owned,
higher prices for land, and many small tobacco farmers losing their land. A lot of enslaved
people were brought from Africa and your social status depended on the colour of your skin. The
price of the land shop up, especially in some parts of Barbados where it increased by as much as
thirty times. Changes in the population happened too with fewer white people and more black
people, making the majority of the population turn from mostly white to mostly black. There was
also a focus on growing just one crop, which is called monoculture.

Changing from growing tobacco to sugar in the Caribbean was simple because the climate
there is good for growing sugar cane. Sugar cane thrives in tropical and sub-tropical climates and
the soil in the Caribbean is rich and fertile which is perfect for growing sugar cane. Producing
sugar didn’t have any special transportation challenges either. Sugar wasn’t too bulky to be
transported efficiently in the small ships available and there were good markets and fair prices.
The market for sugar was suitable because many people were using tea and coffee, which
required a sweetener cheaper than honey.

The reasons behind the sugar revolution included the fact that the West Indian tobacco
growers couldn’t compete with Virginia tobacco producers. Virginia tobacco was of better
quality and produced in larger quantities. The combination of West Indian and Virginian
tobaccos flooded the European market, leading to lower prices and profits. Sugar cane turned out
to be a more profitable crop and there was a ready market for sugar in Europe because many
people were drinking coffee and tea, needing a sweetener cheaper than honey.

Around 1640, the Lesser Antilles saw a decline in the price of tobacco, the main crop that
supported their economy. This happened because Virginia tobacco provided tough competition.
As the price of tobacco dropped, small farmers had to stop growing it. Fortunately, sugar came at
the right time to replace tobacco. The Dutch played a role in the sugar revolution by wanting to
boost their trade. They saw the potential in promoting sugar cultivation. Since the small planters
7|Page
in the Eastern Caribbean didn’t have enough money, the Dutch helped by providing credit. The
Dutch were also involved in both the specialized and manual labour needed for sugar cultivation,
as they controlled the slave trade.

Tobacco planters who couldn’t switch to growing sugar had to leave. Some went to other
islands for a fresh start, some returned to England and many indentured servants became
buccaneers. Some joined the army, like Cromwell’s army in 1655 or the navy. Only a few stayed
to work for wages on sugar plantations. Others found jobs in towns as innkeepers, clerks and
skilled craftsmen, while some became fishermen.

The shift from tobacco to sugar in the West Indies was called the “Sugar Revolution” and
it brought about fast and widespread changes. These changes had a big impact on the economy,
the social structure and the political organization of the island.

Turning sugarcane into sugar needed costly buildings and machines. To make these
investments worthwhile, a large amount of cane had to be collected. As sugar became more
profitable and the demand for land went up, the price of land also increased. To meet the
demands for sugar, people started bringing negroes from Africa, not as workers with fixed work
periods but as slaves forced to work their whole lives. While the black population in the West
Indies grew, the white population decreased. Social status started being determined more by skin
colour than just economic success. The laws also became more controlling. Growing sugar made
the West Indies wealthier, leading to changes in how the colonies were governed.

In summary, around the middle of the 17th Century, tobacco faced competition from
Virginia and South Asian tobacco, causing an oversupply and drop in prices. Sugar cane, on the
other hand was easy to transport, not bulky and didn’t spoil. To make it profitable, a lot of land
was needed, leading to higher demand and land prices. Producing sugar required a lot of labour,
so many enslaved Africans were brought in. West Indian society changed from having small
numbers of whites and mostly blacks. The whites were socially and politically in charge and the
enclaved Africans were at the bottom of the social order. A new trading pattern, the “Triangular
Trade,” connected Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. The Dutch helped kick start the sugar
industry by providing money, knowledge, credit, goods, labour, ships and markets. When the
Dutch left, Europeans entrepreneurs and companies took over. Unlike tobacco, which needed
only a small workforce, sugar required much more labour for planting, harvesting, storing and

8|Page
transporting. Indigenous and indentured labour were not enough, so cheap and readily available
African labour became crucial. As the sugar industry grew, the demand for enslaved Africans
increased, leading to a tragic but profitable trade in people.

9|Page
 Bibliography
 Dyde Brian, Greenwood Robert, Hamber Shirley, Amerindians to Africans, 3rd Edition

 Dawson Veta, Gittens Morton Dane, Pemberton Rita, Karl Watson, Caribbean History
for CSEC

10 | P a g e