Boiling Sugar: The Bitter Side of Sweet
In 18th-century Barbados, sugar was made in cast-iron syrup kettles, a method later embraced in the American South. Sugarcane was crushed utilizing wind and animal-powered mills. The drawn out juice was heated, clarified, and vaporized in a series of kettles of reducing size to create crystallized sugar.
The Sweet Economy: Barbados Sugar Production. Barbados, often called the "Gem of the Caribbean," owes much of its historic prominence to one product: sugar. This golden crop transformed the island from a small colonial station into a powerhouse of the international economy throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Yet, the sweet success of sugar was built on a structure of oppressed labour, a truth that casts a shadow over its legacy.
Boiling Sugar: A Lealthal Task
Producing sugar in the 17th and 18th centuries was an unforgiving process. After collecting and crushing the sugarcane, its juice was boiled in massive cast iron kettles until it took shape as sugar. These pots, frequently organized in a series called a"" train"" were warmed by blazing fires that enslaved Africans had to stoke continually. The heat was suffocating, and the work unrelenting. Enslaved workers withstood long hours, often standing near to the inferno, running the risk of burns and exhaustion. Splashes of the boiling liquid were not uncommon and could cause extreme, even deadly, injuries.
Living in Peril
The threats were ever present for the enslaved workers charged with working these kettles. They laboured in intense heat, inhaling smoke and fumes from the burning fuel. The work required intense physical effort and accuracy; a moment of negligence might result in mishaps. Regardless of these challenges, oppressed Africans brought amazing ability and resourcefulness to the process, ensuring the quality of the end product. This item sustained economies far beyond Barbados" coasts.
Appreciating the Past
By acknowledging the hazardous labour of enslaved Africans, we honour their contributions and sacrifices. Barbados" sugar market, built on their backs, formed the island's history and economy. As we admire the antiques of this age, we should also remember the people whose work and durability made it possible. Their story is an important part of comprehending not simply the history of Barbados but the more comprehensive history of the Caribbean and the worldwide effect of the sugar trade.
The video portrays chapter 20 of Rogues in Paradise. The scene is of Hunts Gardens carved out of the many gullies in Barbados: Meet the impressive man who created the most captivated place on earth!
HISTORICAL RECORDS!
Abolitionist Expose the Hazards of Sugar Plantations
James Ramsay and other abolitionists accentuated the gruesome conditions in Caribbean sugar plantations. The boiling home, filled with open vats of scalding sugar, was a site of suffering, injury, and even death for enslaved workers.
Sweetness Forged in Fire: The Sugar-Boiling Legacy - See the Blog for Details