POSTS – Page 32 – Atlantic History

Sugar Islands

September 21, 2016December 16, 2020Dr. Shrout

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Isaias Ortiz introduces the statement from week 4 reading that: The slaves would find ways to cause chaos on the ship, so individuals responsible for the trade had to make sure that they had chains and weaponry to prevent “an actual outbreak of [slave] revolt” (Smallwood, 679). This makes me think of Sugar Islands in the way of preventing revolts in the sugar mills and plantations. If slaves were likely to start revolts in a place they could not escape (a ship), then would it be more likely for them to start a revolt in a place they may be able to escape from (a sugar plantation). Yet, Alberto Vieira does not address slave tension or revolt on the Sugar islands in detail. Vieira paints a picture that shows slaves, free men, and freed men working in sugar mills and plantations together. I find it incredibly interesting that no correlation between number of slaves impacts production in any way (Vieira, 58). This makes me think that a plantation could have a majority of free men, or a majority of slaves, and they will all work in the same way, with the same outcomes.

This article also interested me because it presented sugar plantations as a business that was not steady in the Madera or Canary islands. Not only was it unsteady for economic reasons, but also for internal political reasons. First, there were issues with water supply, turning water into a commodity that could be bought and sold. Disputes over land and water forced the crown to get involved because the Captains who were in charge of distributing land and water were not doing a good job. The saturated market for sugar production caused problems with supply. The Sugar Crisis made sugar production and sales unsteady in the islands. There was a short relief when the Dutch needed sugar for jams and preserves, but as Brazil reappeared in the sugar market the islands began to struggle again. Sugar was a commodity that many raced to produce, when plantations had to fight over buyers, sugar production began to decline out of necessity.

Tropical Babylons. Chapel Hill, US: The University of North Carolina Press, 2004. Accessed September 20, 2016. ProQuest ebrary.

Sugar islands and the Atlantic

September 21, 2016December 16, 2020Dr. Shrout

The main focus of the chapter Sugar Islands: The Sugar economy of Madeira and the Canaries is “White Gold” or sugar. The chapter starts off by talking briefly about how the sugar trade gets setup up on these two islands and the various property rights that went into owning the land. Before moving onto the next major topics the author discusses how water was brought to the properties and the various difficulties that came up in regards to getting water. The author then talks about the depression of the late 15th century and then a rise in the early 15th century in the value of sugar and then another depression shortly after. This sort of fluctuation in the market of sugar is mentioned various times throughout the rest of the chapter. The rest of the chapter deals with things like the trade of sugar amongst groups and the production of sugar. (Vierira, Pg 42 – 47)

Though Sugar became a big business, that growth was built off the back of slavery as a means to produce large quantities of “white gold”. These slaves were brought in, in part because of a lack of laborers on the islands and also because both of these locations are very close to Africa. This point is also brought up by Erin who also talks about similar points in regards to how there were not that many people available to farm the land so groups turned to using slavery. (Vierira, Pg 56 -58)

This whole chapter in a way links up with the last reading, Chapter 4 of The Atlantic World, which discussed the altercations that nations had with each other in the Americas and Europe. In a way, this chasing of profit in the sugar economy could be seen as an extension of that fighting, without the use of weapons.

Sugar Islands Response

September 21, 2016December 16, 2020Dr. Shrout

European economies tied themselves to the lands that they colonized. Alberto Vieira discusses this in the reading, arguing that it was specific products that led the Europeans to settle these islands. Sugarcane was particularly valuable to the Portuguese and Spanish, with Madeira and the Canary Islands serving as the main hosts for the crop. Vieira suggests that because of the scarcity of water in the Canary Islands, economic organization was key (Vieira, 44). This scarcity of water in the Canaries resulted in resource management that favored the growth of sugarcane above all else. In Erin’s response she references Grove and concept of Green Imperialism. This reference fits perfectly within the narrative of Europeans leaving large ecological damages on the lands they discover and exert power over.
While Vieira states that sugar production was not the main reason that for occupying these islands, the rapid increase in demand for it changed that objective in an incredibly short amount of time (Vieira, 47). This rapid demand for sugar created a demand for labor, one that was satisfied with enslaved peoples. The outcomes of large scale sugar production are ones that would not have happened without an economic incentive, and the way that Europe reacted when they discovered these sugar islands can tell us a lot about how their imperialistic concerns were impacted by the opportunity for economic growth and how the rush for “White Gold” reveals that not every European country was concerned about the ecological impacts on these islands.

Soaring Sugar Productions in the Atlantic

September 21, 2016December 16, 2020Dr. Shrout

Sugar played a major role in the economy and in the lives of many people. Alberto Vierira traces the evolution of the sugar agriculture throughout Madeira and some of the Canary Islands in chapter 3 of his book: Tropical Babylons. Vierira discusses the difficulties of acquiring land and water in Madeira and the Canaries. Water was not much of a problem at first in Madeira, but it was very scarce in the Canaries. Water was eventually negotiated in the same way as land. Water should have been public property, but instead it was sold and rented. The production of sugar was beneficial to a large spectrum of the population. Shoemakers, carpenters, barbers, surgeons and others were able to take advantage of the production. The production of sugar expanded rapidly on the islands. It had even soared through periods of depression, but eventually began to decline during the 1500s. Although many offered explanations for the sugar crises as being based on external factors, Fernando Jasmins Pereira claimed that the crisis was caused by internal factors (Vierira, 48). Lack of fertilizers, soil exhaustion, and climate changes were all internal factors that affected the decline of sugar productions. On top of that, competition from other areas, the plague in 1562, and labor shortages further added to the bad situation (Vierira, 48).

In the beginning of the sixteenth century, Madeira was promoting and developing the use of contracts of sharecropping (Vierira, 57). The use of slaves during this time often depended on the structure of landholding on the island. With so many fields and lands that needed cultivation, landowners began noticing a shortage in laborers. Vierira noted, “the active role of the Madeirans in the opening of the Atlantic world, and the proximity of Africa all played a role in shaping slavery” (57). Like Erin Wroe had mentioned, mass market for slaves began to emerge during this time in order to keep up with the demand for sugar. However, Vierira interestingly mentioned that although the number of owners with slaves increased during the seventeenth century, there had seemed to be no direct relationship between the numbers of production and the number of slaves (Vierira, 58). Owners with large numbers of slaves had very little sugar productions during that time.

Week 5: Sugar Islands

September 20, 2016December 16, 2020Dr. Shrout

It comes to no surprise that the Europeans always found ways to battle for supremacy. The battles range from goods that can be used to territories so nations can build their spheres of influence to new and unknown lands. In this article, the battles of supremacy continue with trade routes specialized in sugar. The Sugar Route according to Alberto Vieira “played an essential role in the transfer of sugar from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean” (Vieira 42). In order for these islands to become successful for the nations that played their parts in it, they had to depend on slaves and how each of them would participate in the trade market.

Slaves were important for the success of the established Sugar Route. As stated by Erin Wroe, slaves were necessary due to the lack of local individuals that were already living in the Sugar Route (Vieira 57). However, slaves were not always needed and they acted like “assistants” when a free man was in charge. In addition, the article mentions that slaves were not the primary source (group) that contributed the most work to the success of the route as stated in the example on Madeira. The labor force used in Madeira mills “[were] mixed, made up of slaves, freed [slaves; considered a “Free Man”], and free persons (individuals that were already free before working in the mills)” (Vieira 61).

Nations that wanted to participate in the Sugar Route had to deal with the problems that the trade route presented. One of the trade route problems came from policies that were established based on xenophobia. Dom Manuel of Portugal had to “recognize the negative effects” of the restrictions that his government placed upon foreigners on selling their goods for only a few months during the year (Vieira 65). He removed those policies once he realized that they were doing more damage to the economy of his nation than good. Trade in the Sugar Route proved to be good because they were able to stimulate not only the nation of Portugal stated in this example of bad policy, but also other European nations that also participated like Italy, French, and many others (Vieira 65).

The “Sugar Rush” of the Atlantic

September 20, 2016December 16, 2020Dr. Shrout

“Sugar Islands” by Alberto Vierira is a very detailed account of the Madeira and Canary Island sugar trade. Spanish and Portuguese enterprises made use of these islands because sugarcane was considered an exotic ingredient in Europe. It proved to be such a valuable commodity, it actually created an economic network that civilized the Canary and Madeira Islands as well as the rest of Europe. According to Vierira, it led to “the creation of other jobs on the islands like shoemakers, barbers, carpenters and merchants (Vierira, 45).” From this, it looks like sugar is the vehicle of growth on this islands because all of Europe as well as the Middle East use it in order to sweeten their drinks because before that, all they could use is honey as their natural and only sweetener. Sugar Cane proved to be so important and profitable on the Canary and Madeira islands, the Crown even issued land distribution to those based on output. According to Vierira, an observer named Gaspar Frutuoso documented “how a mill owned by Jacome de Monteverde produced an estimated 7,000-8,000 arrobas of sugar from January to July(Vierira, 47).” This was in part of the warm climate on the islands. Sugar`s integration in Mediterranean markets sparked growth in investments and trade. Pretty soon, sugar ignited global competition as the European powers wanted to get their hands on this gold rush of the Atlantic.

I agree with Erin’s response “Sugar Commerce in Atlantic Spaces” because this excerpt actually does remind me of Grove’s Green Imperialism with the environment playing a huge factor in colonization. I also agree with the fact enterprises like sugar cane were determined by geographical factors like weather, water sources and soil fertility. If it made food and drinks taste better, then it is fair to say a sugar rush built the Atlantic World.

Sugar Commerce in Atlantic Spaces

September 20, 2016December 16, 2020Dr. Shrout

Sugar cultivation on the Madeira and Canary Islands allowed prospectors to operate a successful and open market from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries. Factors such as warm climates, rich soil, and nearby sources of water contributed to the growth of sugar cane fields (Vierira, 43, 47). With an abundance of sugar on their land to harvest, sugar cultivators were able to make a significant profit off of their crops. Due to a lack of local labor sources, slaves were imported from Africa to work in the sugar mills (Vierira, 57). As a consequence, a mass market for slaves began to emerge to keep up with outside demand for sugar. Foreign investors such as the Italians and Flemish began to occupy the Madeira and Canary Islands in order to bring sugar crops to the Europe (Vierira, 63). On international competition, I agree with Andre that many Europeans scrambled to take over land in the Atlantic and use it to further expand their empire (http://courses.shroutdocs.org/hist410-fall2016/course-blog). By becoming involved in commerce in Atlantic spaces, Europeans attempted to prove that their empire was more mighty than others and hopefully establish a permanent settlement for future business operations. Invading and taking advantage of non-European spaces provided many opportunities for foreigners to generate success for their home countries. By establishing successful businesses catering to international trade, sugar merchants generated more open commerce for sugar products to meet the demands of the European market. Trade networks between Europe and the Atlantic led to foreign investors becoming central participants in the sugar market, as well as giving them opportunities to settle in Atlantic spaces (Vierira, 67). Madeira and the Canary Islands grew to have a booming sugar industry and were the focal points of sugar trade. During the sixteenth century, however, competition from Brazil began to affect the islands’ prominence in the sugar industry (Vierira, 72).

Concerning the impact of environmental imperialism, sugar cultivators offered to burn acres of forests so they would have more territory to grow sugar cane. There was also a possibility that burning land would have a negative effect on others’ cane fields (Vieira, 51-52). This section reminded me of Richard Grove’s work Green Imperialism, when he refers to the harm of human expansion on the environment (Grove, 2). Prospectors’ destruction of nature to initiate business ventures deeply affects their surroundings even if they are not aware of the damage being done. By this process, investors begin to conquest land, trade, and the goods market by exploiting territory to generate profit from their cash crops.

Atlantic Battleground

September 19, 2016December 16, 2020Dr. Shrout

Matthew Liivoja: Atlantic Battleground

Chapter 4 of The Atlantic World by Douglas R. Egerton et al. vividly describes the bitter and ruthless rivalries between European countries and their methods of acquiring land and materials. Potosi, Spanish for wealth, inspired the Spanish and men like Francisco Manuel to find rich mineral deposits like silver and, of course, gold. It made Spain rich and powerful by expanding their military and their empire and soon enough, their rivals England, France and the Dutch wanted a chunk of the Spanish wealth for themselves. In turn, they resorted to piracy in places like the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Seaboard like the English settlement of Roanoke, VA. I read Kyle Kelsay`s response and I like how he mentions the “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride at Disneyland because it`s actually very relevant with Atlantic History especially with piracy running rampant in the Caribbean. I was surprised to hear the Dutch, French and English were actually granted licenses to raid enemy ships like the Spanish galleons. In doing so, piracy left Spain impoverished.

Secondly, Chapter 4 describes religion as a motivation for colonization. Catholicism was the primary religion across Europe and according the Egerton, Spain’s military power made King Philip, “the protector of Catholicism and pushed to protect it. (Egerton, 122).” He defended it so much, he bankrupted Spain. Martin Luther, however, believed “the Bible should be accessible to everyone (Egerton, 117).” So, the English and the Dutch took advantage of Spain`s fall and Martin’s goal to spread the Word of God in Africa and the Americas. As a result, the Protestant Reformation swept across the world as the Dutch and English took up land formerly occupied by the Spanish.

In conclusion, this “Atlantic Race” was all fueled by the dream of wealth and creating larger networks of religion by using mercantilism to extract the world`s wealth. When you think about it, the battles for money and religion made empires out of Spain, England, and the Dutch. All in all, this chapter is about how rivalries and religion forged the Atlantic into a powerful “highway” for commerce, competition, and communication.

Three Topics For Final Project

September 19, 2016December 16, 2020Dr. Shrout

Christopher Columbus discovering the Americans and recruiting people to help him as he sails to the “New World” known as the Americas.
Africans’ Transatlantic Voyages towards the Americas before 1492.
The Spanish discovery of political, economic, and social networks in the Caribbean.

Atlantic Nation Chapter 4 Response

September 19, 2016December 16, 2020Dr. Shrout

I agree with Diana about the Dutch because Diana brings up a good point about how the Dutch became dominant force in commercial and maritime strategies that was better than the Spanish. With the Dutch’s creativity through trading posts and raids through Spanish ships and towns, increased the wealth of the Dutch and profited a lot of commercial goods to offer throughout the Atlantic region. As a result, the Dutch became a better and more dominant force in the Atlantic region than the Spanish, Portuguese, and English.