Sweet Nexus: Sugar and the Origins of the Modern World
This article
embraces how sugar changed the world.
Sugar involved the different perspectives of slave labor in the sugar
production. Sugar is labor intense and
the need for forced labor from African slaves grew since the 16th
century. Sugar was a lucrative demand
that became enormously profitable for the Europeans and the global market. Since land was essential for sugar
plantations, landlords exchange protection and small land grants in exchange
for their labor. However, these land
grants seldom came through. Unfortunately, this was the beginning of
racism that was justified for the white Europeans who thought themselves as
superior over the “colored people.” Plantation
slavery was profitable and big business, both through farming and
factories.
However, it is my conviction
that this inhuman, slave trade also introduced and created tensions between the
African slaves and traders. With
compelling historical proof of abuse, the Europeans exploited the slaves by
using some political power. However, some whites claimed that these slaves were
part of the economic system. It is my belief that this tyranny lead to wars and more greed. Unfortunately,
with the deplorable living and working conditions, many of these slaves
died. Tragically, many of these slaves
who sought a better life, found their own death as they were forced to work. These slaves
who died were replenished with new slaves. It is my sentiment that even
today, human rights advocates still have
proof that slave labor still exists in other parts of the world. Finally, some
humanitarians claim that sugar was tainted with the blood of the slaves from cutting
the sugarcane. Even though the vast
majority of slaves were Africans who were transported to the New World, this
cash crop, sugar, created a much volatile political climate later around the 19th
century that eventually led to the Civil War which signifies to me that greed
always leads to destruction.
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