The Impacts of the Sugar and Slave Trade in the Caribbean

These flashcards cover key concepts, events, and repercussions of the sugar and slave trade in the Caribbean and its global implications.

What were the reasons for the early failures of colonization in the 1500s?

Lack of investment and Spanish focus on extracting gold and silver instead of agriculture.

By the 18th century, what percentage of the Caribbean population was enslaved?

Approximately 90%.

What fueled renewed interest in Caribbean colonization during the 17th century?

Private investors and charter companies from northern Europe.

What did King James I think about smoking?

He called it a 'custome lothsome to the eye, hatefull to the Nose, harmefull to the braine, and dangerous to the Lungs.'

What were charter companies?

Private companies granted monopolies over trade and land by European monarchs in exchange for funding colonization.

What caused a boom in settlement in the Caribbean islands during the 17th century?

Increased demand for tobacco in Europe and cheap land availability.

What economic crisis hit the Caribbean in the mid-17th century?

A tobacco glut resulted in overproduction, dropping prices and making Caribbean tobacco less profitable.

How did Brazil dominate sugar production?

By using Dutch investment and technology, along with massive imports of enslaved Africans.

What significant change did wealthy Barbados planters make in their labor force?

They switched from tobacco to sugar and replaced indentured servants with enslaved Africans.

Why were indentured servants initially favored over enslaved people?

They were cheaper to acquire and spoke the same language as the planters.

What led to the long-term investment of enslaved people being more advantageous than indentured servants?

Enslaved people were owned for life, while indentured servants left after a few years.

What did the expansion of sugar plantations depend on?

A continuous supply of enslaved African labor.

What industrial elements were crucial for large sugar plantations?

Sugar mills and boiling houses for processing cane immediately after harvest.

What strategy did successful planters use to increase efficiency?

Buying out smaller neighbors to create larger factory-farms.

What were the environmental impacts of sugar plantations?

Deforestation and soil exhaustion due to land clearing and nutrient depletion.

How did sugar cultivation affect biodiversity?

Native vegetation was replaced by foreign crops and invasive weeds.

What was the plantocracy?

A small group of wealthy white plantation owners who owned the majority of enslaved people and land.

What actions did planters take to control the cultural practices of the enslaved?

They mixed people from different ethnic groups and forced them to adopt Christianity.

Who were the 'gens de couleur' in Saint Domingue?

Free people of color.

What were Maroons?

Enslaved people who escaped and formed independent, armed communities.

How did absentee landlords influence the sugar trade?

They used their wealth to buy seats in Parliament to favor laws promoting the sugar trade.

What role did mercantilism play in colonial economics?

It provided a framework for government-protected trade that depended on enslaved labor.

How did modern capitalism relate to the development of colonies?

Banks funded expensive overseas voyages and plantation equipment, facilitating capitalist expansion.

What were the Navigation Acts?

Laws designed to ensure only English ships could trade with English colonies.

What was the Atlantic Circuit or Triangle Trade?

A trading route involving Europe, Africa, and the Americas exchanging goods like sugar and enslaved people.

What common materials became accessible to Europeans due to the slave trade?

Sugar, tea, coffee, and chocolate.

What caused high death rates during the Middle Passage?

Diseases caused by cramped, filthy conditions and poor nutrition.

What was Africa's most valuable export during the slave trade?

Enslaved human beings.

How did African leaders benefit from the slave trade?

They controlled coastal ports and played European nations against each other for better prices.

Which region became the largest source of captives during the slave trade?

Angola/Congo.

How did the Dutch East India Company impact the sugar trade?

They provided initial shipping and financing that drove the sugar revolution.

What was a key difference in slavery practices between the Islamic world and the Americas?

In the Islamic world, most enslaved individuals were used as soldiers or domestic servants.

What led to the insatiable demand for enslaved workers in the sugar trade?

The labor-intensive and deadly nature of sugar production.

How did joint-stock companies mitigate the risks for investors in colonies?

Investors pooled resources, limiting losses to what they contributed if the colony failed.

What was the impact of European agricultural practices on native ecosystems?

Introduction of non-native animals and plants that disrupted local agriculture.

What were the roles of different enslaved people on plantations?

The Great Gang did heavy labor, the Grass Gang did lighter work, and the elderly often did domestic tasks.

What was typically the day off for enslaved people used for?

Growing their own food, visiting the market, and maintaining family/community ties.

What products were exchanged in the Atlantic Circuit cargo?

Guns, textiles, rum from Europe to Africa; enslaved people from Africa to the Americas; sugar, molasses, cotton from Americas to Europe.