Caribbean Test 1

Why did the Dutch West India Company go bankrupt?

WIC was essentially established to carry on economic warfare with the Spanish and Portuguese colonies in the Caribbean. They established trade ports to trade slaves with the Americas. The trade was sufficient enough to finance operations against Spain, Portugal, and England and the latter were very well defended. So basically it was a huge fail because they depleted all their resources.

What were some of the laws that regulated relationships between masters and female slaves? These laws were quite severe at first but with time, they became more relaxed. How do you account for these changes?

- Among many other things, the law ignored completely the existence of family ties, gave no protection to women against overwork, sexual abuse, or ill-treatment during pregnancy, and laid down no limits to the punishments that could be inflicted on either males or females. - There were laws put in place to protect pregnant women and encourage motherhood (not really enforced) (1780s) More relationships formed between masters and female slaves as time went on in an effort to get the female slaves pregnant to either sell the children or have more slaves without purchase.

Based on your reading of Sweetness and Power, what would you say has struck you the most about the book? What new information did you learn from the book?

- I think what struck me most about the book was how significant sugar used to be in society. Sugar has always been something that was a part of my life and I can't really imagine not eating it at all. It's also very weird to think about how sugar used to be so highly valued when it is so cheap and easy to get nowadays. Sugar used to be such a big symbol of status and now it is much more a common everyday item. - One new thing I learned from this book that I find the most interesting is everything about "the tea". After the introduction of sugar, tea time seemed to become a necessity. The book even says that today "there are few Englishmen who will consent to be deprived of their tea". It was also mentioned how tea offered at schools and tea breaks can come in the middle of work or anything really.

Name three important contributions that the sugar industry in the Caribbean had on European society.

- Sugar resolved a little bit of the divide between men and women in society - Sugar became widely available and affordable in Europe - Increased consumption of prepared foods within the home

Mintz writes that sugar in England became a social class in the 18th century and that sugar became a distinct symbol of social class. In what ways was that true? How did sugar as a social class symbol relate to our discussion of Barrett's definition of culture as a system of symbols? Do you see any correlation between Mintz's description of sugar as symbolic of social class and Barrett's definition of culture as a system of symbols?

- Sugar was a symbol of wealth. Especially crafted into subtleties. These sculptures were very expensive and made out of a desirable material to be admired and ultimately eaten by a king and his guests. At first, such displays could only be produced by the king and the nobility. They were symbols of power and of the royal class. - Sugar as a social class symbol relates to our discussion of Barrett's definition of culture as a system of symbols because they were something unique to the culture of the elite class. Subtleties represented how much the elite class valued their wealth. Displays such as subtleties are explicit culture, as described by Barrett, in that they are a visible part of the culture that hints at implicit parts of their culture such as their values. "the common view that the poor neither would nor should consume objects and substances preferred by the rich even if they could afford them" - exclusively a rich person thing

What were the European perceptions of black slave women?

- sexual objects - immoral - physically strong with an animal like sensuality - passive, downtrodden, and subservient worker - promiscuous - cruel and negligent as a mother - that they contributed little to the cause of slave resistance

Make sure you understand fully the terms intensification and extensification. What social classes intensified and extensified the use of sugar in 18th century England and why? Can you think of ways in which extensification and intensification are important parts of our society in the United States today?

- the poorer people wanted to emulate the rich and therefore wanted to consume sugar as the rich did, also wedding cakes and other 'ceremonial' uses (intensification) - transfers of uses and meanings of those in a higher position to lower ranks (intensification). - the poorer people needed energy for work and realized they could get that through sugar (extensification) - the use of old materials in new contexts and with new or modified meanings (extensification) Intensification --> "the attachment of sugar uses to ceremonial occasions harking back to older usage but freed of much of the social and political content they formerly carried" (ceremonial and especially meaningful) Extensification --> "a recasting of meanings, now detached from the past, and from those given by other social groups" (ordinary, every day, and essential)

What is mercantilism?

An economic system where the government regulates trade for its own benefit at the expense of its rivals.

What was the nature of the authority that white masters had over slave women?

Female slaves were subject to the same punishments as men however women were also exploited for reproductive reasons, not just productive.

Explain as many ways as you can how the importation of sugar from the Caribbean changed British society? In what ways did sugar change women's role and perhaps even their status in British society?

British Society - Sugar was initially a luxury item within society - as the demand grew, sugar became more affordable and much more attainable - medicine, condiment, decorative material, sweetener. Used to create sculptures (FOOD, MEDICINE, PRESERVATION) - TEA (literal tea breaks from doing anything), coffee, chocolate (rise in consumption) - as it became cheaper sugar was used as a substitute for complex carbs that the poor could not afford - new foods such as pastries and desserts - the poorer people wanted to emulate the rich and therefore wanted to consume sugar as the rich did (intensification) - the poorer people needed energy for work and realized they could get that through sugar (extensification) - by 1900, an essential ingredient in the British national diet and consumed daily by almost everyone - convenience eating, sweetened preservatives could be left standing and were cheap and appealing Women - convenience eating, the women's time was more freed up because she had to spend less time preparing food for the family - originally it was tea for the ladies and alcohol for the men, separate. However, men eventually started to prefer the company of the women with the tea to the men in the smoking-room. "men completely capitulated (ceased to resist) to woman, accepting and sharing the supernumerary (not needed i guess) snack on her own terms"

Define capitalism, Marxism and socialism?

Capitalism --> Where private entities own the means of production in the form of companies. Individuals own their own labor. Free market, relies on the laws of supply and demand. Incentive to maximize profit for owners benefit. Marxism --> A political/philosophical system that essentially eliminates the class system. Everything is owned and decided by the state and is the same across the board. The state is determined by the people. (eliminates motivation and incentive to work and do good) Socialism --> political and social system of social organization which advocates for market to be owned and run by the community as a whole (production, distribution, and exchange). Everyone would receive a share of production based on how much they contributed. A percentage is deducted for the common good (greater social needs such as transportation, school, health care...)

It has often been said that the plantation and production of sugar in the Caribbean is intricately related to slavery. Do you agree with that statement? Give reasons why you think or don't think that that statement is correct.

I agree with this statement. The indigenous people of the Caribbean were originally enslaved to work on the sugar cane fields. Bartolome de las Casas didn't think it was right to enslave the indigenous peoples so he advocated for the use of Africans. That's when the African slave trade started; to get more unpaid labor to tend the sugar cane fields. "because of [sugar], literally millions of enslaved Africans reached the New World" (71)

What were the effects of piracy on the Spanish colonies?

Pirates were especially interested in Spanish treasure fleets. The Spanish developed a convoy system that would sail annually with all of their ships including passengers, troops, manufactured good, AND all of their silver. This made it harder for the pirates to attack the whole fleet so they instead trailed the ships and attacked stragglers.

How were the plantations organized according to Sidney Mintz?

Plantations were grounded in forced labor and would have limited (if any) freedom of maneuver. They produced and consumed little of what they produced. They were deprived of their tools (?). Technically a capitalist mode of production seeing as the labor was 'owned' just not by the people performing the labor.

What were the ways in which female slaves resisted slavery?

Since women more often worked in the house, they were able to use poison to resist their masters. They would also try to irritate the women and master of the house (destroying property or clothing) They also prevented themselves from getting pregnant and subjecting their children to slavery with abortions.

Trace the history of sugar. Where did it originate and where was sugar planted before the Atlantic slave trade in the Caribbean?

Sugar cane was first domesticated in New Guinea. 2000 years later, in 8000BC sugar cane was carried to the philippines and India.

What were the characteristics in the modes of production in the Industrial Revolution in England in 1740s. How was the production of sugar in the Caribbean a precursor to the Industrial Revolution in Europe?

Sugar production was a sort of assembly line before the assembly line was a thing. If it was someone's job to cut down the sugar cane, that's all they would do. Someone else would transport the cut sugar cane. Someone else would ground it up. Everyone had one job and that was all they did to be the most productive. (Specialization) There was a head of production who was in charge and made sure everything was running smoothly. (Discipline) There was a (trained labor force) who knew what they were doing and how to do it efficiently. The very beginning seeds of capitalism.

Explain the reasons why the use of sugar increased exponentially during the 18th century.

Sugar was originally used exclusively by the wealthy to preserve food as well as sweeten and spice it. Using slaves was significantly less expensive than the cost of using laborers so sugar could be produced for a lot cheaper than before. Cost decreased --> consumption increased Consumption increased --> production increased Production increased --> cost decreased * therefore, sugar became a lot more accessible to people of the lower class Middle-class shoppers had also heard lots about sugar from the wealthy people who could previously afford it. Sugar was essentially a status symbol that people desired. Therefore there was a demand for sugar from those who couldn't afford it before they could. So when the price of sugar dropped, consumption skyrocketed.

How did sugar change the English diet? What were the various dietary uses of sugar in England?

TEA Pastries and chocolates were introduced into the diet. Jams and jellies were a huge addition to the diet. They were cheaper than butter and had fruit in them. Bread and jam became a staple meal. Oatmeal Baked sweet dishes (pastries)

What was the early form of the Spanish colonial government? What were the functions of the various parts of the Spanish colonial government?

The Queen created the Council of the Indies (law/decrees) for the colonies in the Caribbean, and the Real Audiencia of Manila (essentially the court). They ruled the Caribbean from overseas which was very ineffective for quick decisions.

What were the reasons why the Spanish lost their colonies?

The Spanish found Mexico and Peru more desirable than the colonies to exploit for gold and silver. Therefore, they stopped defending the colonies as much because they had less troops there. They also had less money to fund a good defense because their ships kept getting raided. So their colonies were very vulnerable and easy to conquest by other powers.

How is sugar extracted?

The cane can be chopped, then ground, pressed and pounded, or soaked in liquid. Heating the liquid containing the sucrose causes evaporation and a resulting sucrose concentration. As the liquid becomes supersaturated, crystals begin to appear.