Sugar & Slavery ⛓️

C/bean History - Chapter 10

Middle Passage

The brutal sea journey enslaved Africans were forced to take across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean/Americas

Triangular Trade

A trade route between Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean/Americas involving slaves, raw materials (like sugar), and manufactured goods.

How were enslaved people obtained in Old West Africa?

Many were captured during local wars or raids and sold by African rulers or traders to European slave merchants.

Why was West Africa targeted for slavery?

It had established trade networks, coastal access, and complex societies familiar with slavery as an institution.

What African traditions did enslaved people bring with them?

Traditions, the African traditions that the enslaved people brought with them:

1. Music

2. Storytelling

3. Religious beliefs

4. Farming techniques

What replaced tobacco as the main Caribbean export crop?

Sugar

Why did sugar replace tobacco?

Sugar replaced tobacco due to higher European demand and its profitability on plantations

Why was sugar so labor-intensive?

It required year-round care, including planting, harvesting, boiling, and refining

ratoons

Sugarcane shoots that regrow after harvesting

For what reason were ratoons important for sugar cultivation?

They allowed for multiple crops from a single planting

muscovados

A coarse brown sugar made by boiling sugarcane juice

What was the plantation hierarchy like?

The plantation hierarchy:

1. European plantation owners

2. Overseers

3. Skilled laborers

4. Enslaved Africans

Why was the plantation system so harsh?

It was based on profit, relied on forced labor, and used physical punishment to control enslaved workers

How did slavery shape the Americas?

It built wealth for European empires, created plantation economies, and led to the widespread African diaspora.