Worlds Turned Upside Down Episode 9: The Sugar
Jul 26, 2024
Mary Draper, an expert on Caribbean plantation societies, discusses Antigua's unique ecological and social challenges. Andrew O'Shaughnessy, a historian of the British Caribbean, highlights Jamaica's pivotal role in Britain's economy and imperial strategy. Trevor Bernard explores the stark social inequalities in Jamaica's settler society rooted in slavery. Brooke Newman delves into Jamaica's demographics and wealth dynamics, emphasizing the lethal nature of sugar production and its reliance on the brutal transatlantic slave trade.
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Sugar Islands Fueled The Imperial Economy
- 18th-century Caribbean sugar islands were central to Britain's Atlantic economy and empire wealth.
- Their production linked Britain, North America, and West Africa in an interdependent trade network.
Environmental Limits Shaped Island Life
- Antigua's geography made it a communications and trade hub despite environmental fragility.
- Islanders adapted via cisterns, wells, and an inter-island water trade to sustain sugar cultivation.
Jamaica Dominated Atlantic Sugar Trade
- Jamaica produced the majority of sugar and rum imported into Britain and dominated Atlantic sugar trade.
- Its scale made it unusually wealthy and deeply integrated into Atlantic markets.