Grade:103/H
Teacher: Mrs. Adams Robinson
Research Topic
Theme 2: Caribbean Economy and Slavery
To what extent did the Sugar Revolution impact the British West Indies in the 17th?
Objectives: * Explain what the Sugar Revolution was. * Describe the British West Indies before the Sugar Revolution. * Explain the reasons for the Sugar Revolution. * Analyze the effects of the Sugar Revolution on the British West Indies.
Rationale
The use of West Africans as slaves in the West Indies was induced because of the Sugar Revolution in the 18th century. This started because of the decline in the profitability of the tobacco in the West Indies. The West Indian planters could not compete with Virginia tobacco which was cheaper and of better quality. The planters then sought for alternative crop. That crop became sugar cane.
Europe needed a cheap and affordable sweetener as coffee and tea were becoming increasingly popular. Sugar cane could not be grown in a temperate climate but in a tropical climate like that of the West Indies. The growing of sugar cane was considered a good idea since it was not too bulky, it was an imperishable product and that it could be easily transport in small ships.
This topic was chosen because it is beneficial and enriching to learn about the causes and the ideas behind the enslaving of Africans in the 18th century. In today’s society many of the things that were practiced by the slaves are considered helpful. For instance persons in the rural areas of Jamaica that are inaccessible to hospitals and clinics still use some of the herbal remedies that were used by the Africans. In pursuing this topic a number of objectives are required to be fulfilled such as: explaining the social, political and economic reasons for the change from tobacco to sugar, explaining the reasons for the enslavement of the West Africans, describing the Trans-Atlantic trade and comparing the effects that the Trans-Atlantic trade had on West Africa before and after the slave trade in the 18th century.
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