Sugar Trade Research Paper

In the 15th century, when exploration was starting to peak, a plant was introduced to the British and the Spaniards that changed the lives of many, and created a new way to gain power. When the sugar cane arrived in the new world a demand for it created a global market that was run by the strongest civilizations. The Sugar Trade and all of the factors that contributed to it has affected many parts of the world we live in today. This fact causes us to think about what exactly made the Sugar Trade the powerful global phenomenon it was back then?
For starters, the sugar itself carried value on its own. The sweetener was foreign to the British, along with coffee, chocolate, and tea. These products have many similarities, the first of which is their tropical origin. There would be no need for the rush to get these goods if they were in the regions near England and Spain. But sugar, like the other plants, needs very specific conditions to grow …show more content…
Slaves were imperative to the trade because they provided a suitable work force that was sought out for by every major country at that time. Slaves worked at the plantation cutting down the sugar cane stalks, tending the fields, distilling the sugar, and working in every process in between. Slaves had to do the labor intensive jobs that nobody else could do. The slaves had to work in humid and hot conditions. Not only that, but they had to work in dangerous situations all the time that could easily cost their lives. Slaves contributed to the existence of the Slave trade most importantly by making more sugar. The amount of slaves directly correlates with the amount of sugar produced. From research done by Franklin Knight at Oxford University (document 10) the amount of slaves increased with the amount of sugar produced. In conclusion the Slaves drove the Sugar Trade by physically producing the