CXC History School Based Assesment

1
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements.......................................................................................................................................2
Question........................................................................................................................................................3
Rationale .......................................................................................................................................................4
Introduction...................................................................................................................................................5
Chapter One ..................................................................................................................................................6
Causes of the Sugar Revolution................................................................................................................6
Chapter Two..................................................................................................................................................8
Impact of the Sugar Revolution ................................................................................................................8
Economic Impact...................................................................................................................................8
Political Impact......................................................................................................................................9
Social Impact.......................................................................................................................................10
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................11
Appendices..................................................................................................................................................12
Appendix A.............................................................................................................................................12
Appendix B.............................................................................................................................................13
Appendix C.............................................................................................................................................14
Bibliography ...............................................................................................................................................15

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Acknowledgements
The following persons must be thanked for their contribution towards the completion of this
project:
Almighty God for giving me the strength to complete this project, my History teacher for her
guidance, patience and assistance and my parents for their guidance throughout the project.

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Question
What were the causes and consequences of the Sugar Revolution in the British West Indies
between 1645 and 1748?

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Rationale
The researcher has chosen the topic since it is widely known that the sugar revolution of the 17th
century changed the entire landscape of the British West Indies. This paper will examine the
causes and effects of this phenomenon.

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Introduction
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structure that takes place in a
relatively short period of time. In the British West Indies from about 1645 a change occurred in
the basic cash crop. This change was so rapid and far - reaching that revolutionary seems a fitting
word to describe it. It ranks in importance with Emancipation, for the sugar revolution changed
the Lesser Antilles completely. The Sugar Revolution brought about demographic, social,
economical and political changes in the British West Indies (Greenwood and Hamber, 2003).
Unlike more broadly based revolutions like the Industrial and Agricultural Revolution, the Sugar
Revolution points to the transformative power of a single commodity. From the onset of the
Sugar Revolution, production in the British colonies grew at a rate never seen before (Beckles
and Shepherd, 2004).
The Sugar Revolution has also been referred to as an economic revolution. An account of
Barbados in 1667 reads as follows: ' The buildings in 1643 were meant with things only for
necessity, but in 1666 plate, jewels and house hold stuff were estimated at five hundred thousand
pounds (£500,000.00), their buildings fair and beautiful, and their houses like castle, their sugar
houses and Blacks hut show themselves from the sea like so many small towns, each defended
by its castle'. (Eric Williams 1970).
This S.B.A / Essay has two chapters. Chapter one (1) will discuss the causes of the Sugar
Revolution and Chapter two (2) will examine the impact/ consequences of the Revolution.
Secondary sources such as text books and the Internet were used to gather information.

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Chapter One
Causes of the Sugar Revolution
During the early years of settlement in the West Indies, tobacco was the primary agricultural
crop. Wherever sugar was planted at all it was in insignificant quantities. (Dookhan, 1974)
Several factors accounted for the Sugar Revolution. Tobacco, the crop on which the economy of
the British West Indies was founded, was on the decline. West Indian tobacco could not compete
with Virginian tobacco or tobacco from Venezuela, so there was a fall in prices. (Greenwood &
Hamber, 2008) Therefore, there was less demand for tobacco and many small farmers exited
tobacco production.
In 1627, Virginia was able to ship nearly 500,000 pounds of tobacco to England while St.
Kitts and Barbados combined could only ship 100,000 pounds. (Greenwood & Hamber, 2008)
(Please Refer to Appendix A for a table showing the production of sugar in tons by each territory
between 1741 and 1745). Virginia did not only have the advantage of size but of quality. As the
demand for tobacco in England increased, Virginia was able to meet the demand easily. The
demand for West Indian tobacco fell because it failed to expand its output and the quality was
inferior. The combination of the West Indian and Virginian tobacco created a glut in the market
which adversely affected prices and profits. Competition also came from the Dutch trading
tobacco in Venezuela and Curacao. (Greenwood & Hamber, 2008)
Consequently, the price of West Indian tobacco fell and many small farmers went out of
production. Another force at work was the rising demand for sugar in Europe. (Dookhan, 1971)
Social habits were changing in Europe at the time. The introduction of coffee and tea from the
newly colonized India and the Far East created a demand for a sweetener less expensive than

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honey, which was used at the time. Attention was directed to cane sugar. The increase for
demand in sugar provided a stimulus for its introduction and expansion in the British West
Indies. It was readily accepted as an alternative crop to tobacco and their efforts were supported
by the Dutch.
In 1640, the Dutch came to the islands and brought with them their expertise in sugar
production. They provided capital, labour and markets for the young industry. They arrived at a
time when the tobacco economy was facing difficulties to teach the inhabitants the secrets of
sugar cultivation and manufacture. (Williams, 1970) The Dutch Contribution was so great that it
can be said that they made the change possible.

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Chapter Two
Impact of the Sugar Revolution
Economic Impact
The change from tobacco to sugar cultivation profoundly modified the contest for
agriculture in the British West Indies. Among the changes resulting from the change were
adjustments for the social and economic lives of the tobacco farmers and political fabric of the
islands. A change in the economic structure produced a corresponding change in the labour
supply. Sugar required large plantations and hordes of cheap labour. The rise of the sugar
industry was the signal for dispossession of small farmers. In Barbados in 1645 there were
11,200 small farmers and 5,680 Negro slaves, in 1667 there were 745 large plantation owners
and 82,023 slaves. (Williams, 1944).
There was a complete dependence on sugar and introduction of restricted navigation laws by
the European Countries. (Missmango.wikispaces.com) This was due to the decrease in demand
for Tobacco. There was a change in the pattern of agriculture from a diversified economy to a
monocultural economy. Also, small holdings gave way to large plantations and the price of land
increased due to this. (Higman, 2000)
Also, the triangular trade provided employment in a number of areas from shipbuilding to
insurance, to porters and warehouse landlords among others. (notesmaster.com) (Please refer to
Appendix B to see a picture demonstrating the triangular trade) Thus the Sugar Revolution was
essentially economic rather than social.

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Political Impact
The cultivation of sugar increased the wealth obtained from the British West Indies. This
resulted in a change in the system of governing the colonies. Their show of wealth and the
financial gains to be derived from their control, made the powers brings the islands under more
direct control. Governors were sent out to govern with specific instructions and commissions.
Laws such as the Navigation Acts and the Mercantile System were instituted to get tighter
control of the colonies. (Higman, 2000)
Politically, the British West Indies transformed from a neglected area to become the centre of
an enfeebled arranged Empire. The Islands were reviewed highly by the Metropolitan countries
and became pawns whenever treaties were agreed. (Auger, Gordon, Hall & Reckord, 1960)
Based on knowledge, the wealth gained from sugar aroused greed from European nations who
sought to wrest control of the colonies from each other. The seventeenth century witnessed the
shuffling backward and forward of the colonies from one European nation to another as fortune
of war changed. The West Indies became a pawn in the game of International politics and the
region became a theatre of maritime warfare. The Sugar Revolution brought the West Indian
colonies under mercantilist 'surveillance' and made item objects of European conflict. (Higman,
2000)
Back in the colonies, the franchise (right to vote) was granted only to those who owned a
certain acreage of land. The whites were the only ones then with the right to vote and they
ultimately controlled the House of Assembly. (notesmaster.com)

10
Social Impact
One of the major implications of the sugar revolution was the increase in the size of the slave
population as hundreds of thousands of African Slaves were imported yearly into the Caribbean.
(Higman, 2000) Thus, there was a stratified society in the British West Indies. Statistics as
revealed show that in 1645, the Black population in Barbados was 5,500. By 1748, it had
increased to 68,000. This change in the racial composition was so exponential that by the mid
eighteenth century, the ratio of Blacks to whites was 25:1. (Please refer to Appendix C for a table
showing the makeup of the population during the revolution).
The changed ethnic composition led to a changed social system. The introduction of so many
Blacks to the British West Indies modified and shaped the character and habit of both blacks and
whites. Social status came to be dominated by colour. There was the suppression of Blacks by a
repressive legislation. The fundamental fact was "the creation of an inferior social and economic
organization of exploiters and exploited."(Williams, 1944)
The sugar revolution was also responsible for the introduction of the practice of absenteeism
into the West Indian life. In the first half of the eighteenth century, many of the richer planters
were able to return to England, set up residence there, and live off proceeds of their West Indian
estates. It was mainly, although not entirely, a feature of the islands. It was a result of a number
of factors, some tending to push a successful planter out of the West Indies, and others to pull
back him back to England. Absenteeism led to mismanagement of the sugar estates, the declining
of their value and the destruction of the plantation system. (Greenwood & Hamber, 2003)

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Conclusion
By the beginning of the 18th
century, sugar had become the main staple in most of the
Caribbean colonies. In the seventeenth century both in the English and to a lesser extent in the
French islands, a change occurred in the basic cash crop. The society became a stratified one.
The Sugar Revolution also paved the surface for the Industrial Revolution in England through
the high profits that were earned. The list of changes is almost inexhaustible. The natures of
society changed from a free citizenry to a slave population and racially from white to black as a
lot of slaves were imported to work on sugar estates.
Also, the African Culture was introduced by the Blacks. Sugar was now the main cash crop
of the British West Indies. Subsequent to the Sugar Revolution, planters had made high profits.
Absenteeism led to the overall destruction of the plantation system in the British West Indies. A
host of new laws were introduced to regulate and define the relationship between masters and
slaves. Wealth gained from sugar aroused greed from European nations who sought to wrest
control of the colonies from each other. Of all the revolutions that occurred, the Sugar
Revolution was the only one which dealt with a single commodity.

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Appendices
Appendix A
Sugar production in the Caribbean
Territory Output(annual average tons )
1741-45 1766-70
British 41043 80285
French 64675 77923
Dutch 9210 10126
Spanish 2000 10000
Danish 730 8230
Table 1: Showing production of sugar in tons by each territory between 1741-45 and 1766-70.
(Beckles and Sheperd, 2004)

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Appendix B
Figure 1 Showing the triangular trade.
(http://caribbean.notesmaster.com/notes/syllabus/viewer/816-the-effects-of-slavery-on-other-
areas-of-caribbean-life)

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Appendix C
Table 2 Showing make up of the population during the
revolution.(http://www.google.com.vc/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&
ved=0CCQQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macmillan-
caribbean.com%2Fuploads%2Faa209150-89b7-45c0-b7da-
18e38b194374_CSEC%2520History%2520Book%25201.pdf&ei=d1LXUsm_LufRsAT32oGgA
Q&usg=AFQjCNEkpcHq2X_5WZ-7-5E5Um0dXsZxtw&bvm=bv.59568121,d.cWc)

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Bibliography
Books:
Auger, F.R, Gordon, S.C, Hall, D.G & Reckord, M. (1960) The Making of the West Indies,
Longman Caribbean Trinidad
Beckles, H. & Sheperd, V. (2004) Liberties Lost, Cambridge University press Jamaica
Dookhan, I. (1971) A Pre Emancipation History of the West Indies, Collins Clear England
Greenwood, R. & Hamber, S. (2008) Amerindians to Africans, Macmillan Caribbean England
Greenwood, R. (1991) A Sketchmap History of the Caribbean, Macmillan Caribbean Thailand
Higman, B.W. (2000) The Economic History Review, Australian National University Australia
Williams, Eric. (1944) Capitalism & Slavery, Ian Randle Publishers Kingston
Websites:
http://missmango.wikispaces.com/9+a.+The+Sugar+Revolution
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2598696?uid=3739288&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=
4&sid=21102748588737
http://www.studymode.com/essays/Effects-Of-Sugar-Revolution-Economic-1946279.html
http://www.scribd.com/doc/51122465/The-Sugar-Revolution#
http://caribbean.notesmaster.com/notes/syllabus/viewer/816-the-effects-of-slavery-on-other-
areas-of-caribbean-life
http://www.studymode.com/essays/Sugar-Revolution-477398.html
http://www.google.com.vc/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCQ
QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.macmillan-caribbean.com%2Fuploads%2Faa209150-
89b7-45c0-b7da-
18e38b194374_CSEC%2520History%2520Book%25201.pdf&ei=d1LXUsm_LufRsAT32oGgA
Q&usg=AFQjCNEkpcHq2X_5WZ-7-5E5Um0dXsZxtw&bvm=bv.59568121,d.cWc
http://missmango.wikispaces.com/9+a.+The+Sugar+Revolution

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http://caribbean.notesmaster.com/notes/syllabus/viewer/816-the-effects-of-slavery-on-other-
areas-of-caribbean-life

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