Blog 2

The sugar plantation economy began in the Mediterranean. After observing its success, the Portuguese brought this economy to the Atlantic and brought it to islands where African Americans resided. Because In the late 1400s the Portuguese began to trade enslaved African labor, they used this to their advantage and had them work in sugar cane plantations. Black labor then became associated with sugar. The Portuguese then served as the model for later nations to follow. From Portugal, black labor made its way to Brazil and the Caribbean. Then Spanish and Portugal was displaced as the economic leader by Britain. The British were then in control of sugar production. Because sugar was cheap and addicting, the demand for it increased. In Europe, when sugar was combined with tea, it gave the illusion of a hot meal when there was no time or money to fix a real one. This made it ideal for even the poor to afford and desire sugar. By the late eighteenth century sweetened tea became a part of the diet of all classes of the British society. Because sugar cane had to be planted year round so that it could be harvested year round, there was always a need for plantation workers. Cheap and unjust labor took place in order to meet the high demands for sugar.