Caribbean Plantation Essay

Plantation Plantations were a common source of income until 1865 in America, when slavery was abolished. There were evident class divisions in the plantation life. From 1800-1050 there had been four major cash crops that included tobacco, cotton, indigo, and rice. A main element in the successful production of these crops was the common use of slave labor. The majority of citizens living in the south were yeoman farmers, indentured servants, or slaves (Weymouth 41). American Indians had started slavery in the New World before it has been discovered by Christopher Columbus. They had made slaves of individuals captured in war (Mcneese 22). As early as 1518 black slaves were imported to the Americas. The Spanish and Portuguese imported thousands of black slaves because they provided a cheap workforce. The exceptionally high profits made by the sale of sugar in Europe, they established sugar plantations on their own all throughout the Caribbean …show more content…
The economy in the south had its success because of the use of cheap, slave labor that was profitable. The plantation system came to define the culture and economy of the south. In the southern region’s plantations came to dominate the economy, which created an economy that had fewer small businesses and farms than the north. In addition to that, it had created a society that was aristocratic. The plantation owners thought of themselves as the elite of the society. The use of slaves was a key factor that brought in profits and lead America to the Civil War.
More than any other crop tobacco shaped the development of Virginia. The plantation economy in Virginia was based on cheap labor and land. Initially, tobacco was exported directly to England, France, Holland, The Caribbean Islands, and South America (Coddon 87).Virginia provided more revenue to England than any other colony, through a two shilling export tax on