“Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants.” Although Benjamin Franklin wasn’t thinking about the economics of the Atlantic Sugar Trade when he said this quote, it does reveal several key ideas during this time, such as the desire for profit, that influenced the decisions and eventual outcome of this trade network. The back and forth relationship between the core and the periphery was the basis of the Atlantic Sugar Trade. Shown through seven documents, ranging from the perspective of the core and the periphery, to a painting and a population chart; both sides of this issue about the sale of sugar are represented. In several reports,
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Document 3 explicitly shows that the total black population on the islands of Jamaica and Barbados decreased by about 20,000 each in 1713 from the total slave imports from 1676-1700. Although many factors could cause this decrease in population, the cruel conditions that the slaves were forced to work under is a main cause. The Englishmen that only own plantations to make money only provide what is needed for subsistence, which results in excessive labor and such harsh working conditions that it reduces the life of an African slave to sixteen years. The low life expectancy paired with no reproduction due to lack of women then requires “20,000 new negroes annually to fill up the vacant places of the dead” (4). Document 5 furthers the notion that the plantation owners placed appalling demands on his slaves, both physically and mentally. His arguments against why he does not treat them better are revolved around his hunger for the most profit. Although he argues that he manages his plantation “by careful keeping and moderate expending” (5), the realities of abuse due to the extreme demands on core for cheap sugar is confirmed. Document 6 depicts the sugar production on Antigua. It is yet another example of the core depending on the periphery by having the well dressed Englishmen watch over the hardworking Africans to ensure the sugar is being produced, and the periphery depending on the core because every cart, building, and machine on the island was made in England. This relates back to Documents 2, 3, 4, and 5. All of these examples reinforce the tremendous demands placed on periphery based on labor, by people in the core and periphery alike looking to extend their economic power by oppressing the African
Document 3 explicitly shows that the total black population on the islands of Jamaica and Barbados decreased by about 20,000 each in 1713 from the total slave imports from 1676-1700. Although many factors could cause this decrease in population, the cruel conditions that the slaves were forced to work under is a main cause. The Englishmen that only own plantations to make money only provide what is needed for subsistence, which results in excessive labor and such harsh working conditions that it reduces the life of an African slave to sixteen years. The low life expectancy paired with no reproduction due to lack of women then requires “20,000 new negroes annually to fill up the vacant places of the dead” (4). Document 5 furthers the notion that the plantation owners placed appalling demands on his slaves, both physically and mentally. His arguments against why he does not treat them better are revolved around his hunger for the most profit. Although he argues that he manages his plantation “by careful keeping and moderate expending” (5), the realities of abuse due to the extreme demands on core for cheap sugar is confirmed. Document 6 depicts the sugar production on Antigua. It is yet another example of the core depending on the periphery by having the well dressed Englishmen watch over the hardworking Africans to ensure the sugar is being produced, and the periphery depending on the core because every cart, building, and machine on the island was made in England. This relates back to Documents 2, 3, 4, and 5. All of these examples reinforce the tremendous demands placed on periphery based on labor, by people in the core and periphery alike looking to extend their economic power by oppressing the African