Jamaican Sugar Plantations Essay - 1417 Words

Jamaican Sugar Plantations When beginning to discuss sugar plantations in Jamaica, the word slavery comes to mind. This thought occurs because of the crucial role that the slaves played in attempting to make these plantations successful. During the 18th century, the so-called sugar colonies were the most valuable possessions of overseas empires (Floyd, 38). Sugar plantations produced money for not only the economy of Jamaica, but for their motherland England as well. Essentially these plantations were created because the aristocrats in Europe needed something to sweeten all of their drinks. However, with lack of space in Europe, the wealthy decided that plantations would flourish in Jamaica. Despite the success of these†¦show more content†¦In 1673, there were roughly 9,500 slaves in Jamaica. However, by 1754, over nine time as many slaves resided in the same region. To further explain the exploitation of slavery, one can see over 200,000 slaves in Jamaica by the end of 1775. While these numbers expla in the prominence of sugar in Jamaica, one must wonder why so many slaves were needed to produce sugar. The production of sugar was not a simple one and consequently required the work of many slaves. A Jamaican sugar estate of 500-1000 acres might require around 250 hands in field and factory (Floyd, 38). Because plantations relied on so many different slaves, the treatment they received was quite horrendous. The whole system became quite degrading as slaves were often sold off as cattle and the strongest slave would often cost the most money. At the market, the physical qualities of both male and female slaves were critically appraised, as in a modern livestock market (Floyd, 39). Once assigned to a specific plantation, strength, size, age, and sex grouped slaves. Because of the many different jobs that are needed in the production of sugar cane, all slaves were of the utmost importance. The heaviest and strongest men and women were designated to clear the land and then plant the sugar cane. The next group of people according to the slave societies hierarchical guide is the teenagers who were given less burdensome tasks such as de-weeding the fields. Although this required less physical exertion,Show MoreRelated History of Jamaica Essay1402 Words   |  6 PagesJamaica on May 5, 1494, one year after he heard of the existence of the island. However, the true history of Jamaica begins wit h the African-Jamaican people who came to the island twenty years after the English took control from the Spaniards. The history of Jamaica can be broken up into different time periods, which were defined by watershed moments or events. Jamaican history begins with the establishment of the native islanders called the Tainos who inhabited the island for hundreds of years before theRead More The Caribbean’s Cultural History Essay1701 Words   |  7 Pagesexploration and discoveries by Columbus that further led to the exploitation of the newfound colonies and its native people. But without this exploitation, the Caribbean would not be as rich in culture as it is today. For instance, Puerto Ricans, Jamaicans, and Dominicans would not be who they are today if Columbus would not have conquered the indigenous people of the island, and set off the proceeding sequence of events. Eventually during the slave trading period, the exploitation expanded into AfricaRead MoreEssay on Jamaic a: History, Government, People, Religion1238 Words   |  5 Pagesthis extreme area are high plateaus, underground caverns, and deep circular basins. This area is what the local people call â€Å"cockpits† (Encyclopedia Americana, 2001, P 670). The highest point in Jamaica is Blue Mountain Peak which stands 7,402 feet. Jamaican climate is tropical, with average temperatures ranging from 80-100 degrees Fahrenheit. The capital of Jamaica is Kingston.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The history of Jamaica is extremely jaded with disease, buccaneering, and slavery. First discovered by Europeans inRead MoreJamaican History Essay1309 Words   |  6 Pagesthis extreme area are high plateaus, underground caverns, and deep circular basins. This area is what the local people call cockpits (Encyclopedia Americana, 2001, P 670). The highest point in Jamaica is Blue Mountain Peak which stands 7,402 feet. Jamaican climate is tropical, with average temperatures ranging from 80-100 degrees Fahrenheit. The capital of Jamaica is Kingston. The history of Jamaica is extremely jaded with disease, buccaneering, and slavery. First discovered by Europeans in 1494Read MoreDehumanization of Enslaved Africans in Jamaica 2035 Words   |  9 Pagesthe lack of public rights. In the start of the eighteenth century, Jamaica was abounded with sugar plantations. 40,000 slaves dwarfed in numbers the seven thousand British inhabitants of Jamaica (Higman p 35). The sugar production became more abundant from the start of the eighteenth century to the end of the century. Seventy sugar plantations grew to 680 from 1672 to 1780. The amount of British Jamaican inhabitants tripled to 21,000 and the amount of slaves reached heights of up to 600,000 in theRead MoreSlavery in Jamaica Essay4444 Words   |  18 Pagesappreciate a good beat. Much of this oppression came in the time of slavery; a period of nearly two hundred years where those of a dark skin were considered property of the light skinned ones, inferior in all ways. Most of their labor was on sugar plantations, an export that Jamaica was supplying much of the world with. Later in their history, it would be bananas that the British would learn to exploit. Until the philosophy which holds One race superior and another inferior Is finally and permanentlyRead MoreJamaic Out Of Many, One People1245 Words   |  5 Pagesslavery brought many problems to the way plantations were run. Sugar is the primary crop of Jamaica and with the new requirements of paying Jamaicans wages, the sugar prices increased and were not as competitive. Many former slaves were able to farm on crown land or buy land with their own savings. With the harshness of economic and social factors, there also was a very high mortality rate of all races on the island due to disease break outs. The Jamaican people had a resolve during this time toRead MoreCulture Analysis : Jamaica. Jamaica1394 Words   |  6 Pagesthe â€Å"Blue Mountains†, which is thickly covered which tree ferns. The Blue Mountains experiences an average of 200 inches of rain annually, resulting in topsoil erosion and an abundance of streams. Peasants nurture coffee, usually grown on large pl antations, in the valleys of the mountains. It is amongst the most expensive coffees in the world and is exported mainly to Japan. The official language of Jamaica is English, but those who stay in rural areas speak patois. Patois is a creole dialect withRead MoreThe New World2171 Words   |  9 PagesAmerican gold and silver. Spain was plagued by periodic famines due to imported Baltic grain not easily being moved to the interior of Spain, while at the same time one-third of farm land had become uncultivable space . The exploitation of the rich Jamaican soil broke Spanish reliance on European imports and thrust the kingdom into rising economic system, mercantilism. Furthermore, to improve the status of the country shifting into a nation state, Spain restricted trade by foreigners with the its’ settlementsRead MoreHistory Of Bretton Woods System And Jamaica1436 Words   |  6 Pagesaffected business and led to people migrating to other areas. At the height of the Trans –Atlantic Trade many slaves were brought to Jamaica to work on the plantations. Products varied from indigo, to tobacco, to cocoa which finally led to sugar. The sugar plantations thrived in Jamaican weather which led to an increase of slaves as well as plantations. After many successful and unsuccessful rebellions, slavery was abolished in 1838. However the abolishment of slavery did not have a major positive impact