Sugar Filling the Urn

The demand for sugar in the West was a byproduct of capitalism, colonialism, and slavery. Over the course of the eighteenth century, sugar became an essential part of triangular trade, a system of transatlantic exchange in which enslaved Africans were brought to sugar plantations in the Caribbean; sugar, tobacco, and cotton were transported to New England and Europe; and textiles, rum, and manufactured goods were exchanged on the African coast for slaves.

The horrific conditions that enslaved laborers endured led period commentators to refer to sugar as “blood-soaked.” Slave labor in the Caribbean persisted until France abolished it in 1848.

The environmental impact of sugar production is vast. The plantation system led to deforestation across the Caribbean. The practice of planting only a single crop in a given location significantly degrades the soils. Today, although slavery has ended, the demand for refined sugar continues, exposing laborers in the industry to harsh working conditions, disproportionate amounts of pollution, and denying equal benefits from the capitalization of natural resources.