Communication Studies
Area of Research
To what extent were the planters in the British West Indies able to manage their plantation to maximize efficiency and profitability up to 1838?
Rational
Essay In the British West Indies, there was a great demand for sugar as during the Mid 18th Century Sugar Revolution. The planters had derived many different strategies to maximize the efficiency and profitability of their plantation, such as the division of land, the layout of the plantation, the division of labour, the organization of buildings, the regular importation of slaves and the location the plantation. The planters also tried to maximize the efficiency and profitability of their plantation by laying out the plantation in a specific way. Usually the plantation would be divided into three sections, where each section was separated and used for different purposes. One third of this land in the sugar plantation was used for sugar production. Sugar was not an exhausting crop so the land could be used for a long period of time. Another third of the land was used for planting food crops such as plantains, cassava, yams and fruit. The final third of the plantation was used for the woodland and were used for some slave huts. The woodland was used to provide timber for the buildings and firewood for furnaces. The slaves lived in a village which was separate from the other plantation because the whites did not want to be constantly reminded of hoe unpleasant slaves were. Their ‘village’ consisted of slave huts which were made by the slaves themselves using timber or mud-and-wattle. The slaves were required to have provision ground of their own where they can plant food crops and make money from selling them at the market. The provision grounds were not located next to the huts but were placed in the less fertile parts of the plantation. By laying out the plantation in this way, the planters managed the efficiency and by extension the profitability of their plantation.
To what extent were the planters in the British West Indies able to manage their plantation to maximize efficiency and profitability up to 1838?
Rational
Essay In the British West Indies, there was a great demand for sugar as during the Mid 18th Century Sugar Revolution. The planters had derived many different strategies to maximize the efficiency and profitability of their plantation, such as the division of land, the layout of the plantation, the division of labour, the organization of buildings, the regular importation of slaves and the location the plantation. The planters also tried to maximize the efficiency and profitability of their plantation by laying out the plantation in a specific way. Usually the plantation would be divided into three sections, where each section was separated and used for different purposes. One third of this land in the sugar plantation was used for sugar production. Sugar was not an exhausting crop so the land could be used for a long period of time. Another third of the land was used for planting food crops such as plantains, cassava, yams and fruit. The final third of the plantation was used for the woodland and were used for some slave huts. The woodland was used to provide timber for the buildings and firewood for furnaces. The slaves lived in a village which was separate from the other plantation because the whites did not want to be constantly reminded of hoe unpleasant slaves were. Their ‘village’ consisted of slave huts which were made by the slaves themselves using timber or mud-and-wattle. The slaves were required to have provision ground of their own where they can plant food crops and make money from selling them at the market. The provision grounds were not located next to the huts but were placed in the less fertile parts of the plantation. By laying out the plantation in this way, the planters managed the efficiency and by extension the profitability of their plantation.
Bibliography: Books: 1. Hilary, McD B., Verene, A. S. (2004) Liberties Lost. Cambridge Publishers. 2. Issac, D. (1988) Pre-Emancipation History of West Indies. Logman Publishers. 3. William, C., John, R. (2001) Caribbean Story Book 1. Carlong Publishers. 4. Amerindians to Africans.