Sugar Trade

Dalton Cumbus Period.6 DBQ -1- What drove the sugar trade?
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Do what you can with what you have, where you are.” For the British this meant using islands such as Jamaica and Barbados to produce, process, and sell sugar. Sugar cane thrives in hot humid, tropical climates. The British used sugar for things such as rum, molasses, and other auxiliaries. The sugar trade grew and thrived for three specific reasons: the perfect climate was available; sugar was new to Britain so people wanted it, and the use of free labor supported by slavery.
The first reason that the British sugar industry was able to grow and thrive was due to the tropical climate of the Caribbean islands. According to document one the British controlled many islands in the Caribbean proving that the land to grow sugar was available. Document two shows the ideal climate for sugar growth is about 68º to 90º Farenheit and about 80-90 inches of rainfall per year. The climate of the Caribbean had a great impact on sugar growth being proved.
Another motive for the British sugar trade industry’s enlargement and endurance was the consumer demand. Document 3A records that sugar cane was new in England and were the top sale; it was the most important import for Britain. Confirming document 3A’s treatise, document 3B states that the mere consumption of sugar could not be prevented due to its epicness. Thereby proving that without customers’ sugar trade would not be sold as much.
The final explanation of the sugar trades prosperity was their need for free labor, supported by slavery. Explained in document six, slaves were the most important thing for the plantation. They were also very expensive. The average price for a male slave was £25 (25 pounds).document 10 shows that the number of slaves increased in the 1700’s, as did sugar production.
To summarize there were good reasons for the escalation and preservation of the sugar industry. Although there were other reasons these three were the most important.