Barbados Sugar’s Unseen History
Sweet Taste Forged in Fire: Barbados Sugar-Boiling Legacy
The Rise of Sugar in Barbados. Sugarcane growing began in Barbados in the early 1640s, when Dutch merchants presented sugar cane harvesting. By the mid-17th century, Barbados had actually become one of the wealthiest nests in the British Empire, making the nickname "Little England." But all was not sweetness in the land of Sugar as we discover next:
The Boiling Process: A Lealthal Task
Making sugar in the 17th and 18th centuries was a perilous process. After gathering and squashing the sugarcane, its juice was boiled in huge cast iron kettles till it crystallized into sugar. These pots, typically arranged in a series called a"" train"" were heated up by blazing fires that workers had to stir continuously. The heat was extreme, and the work unrelenting. Enslaved workers endured long hours, frequently standing close to the inferno, running the risk of burns and exhaustion. Splashes of the boiling liquid were not unusual and could cause serious, even deadly, injuries.
By acknowledging the unsafe labour of enslaved Africans, we honour their contributions and sacrifices. Barbados" sugar market, built on their backs, shaped the island's history and economy. As we appreciate the relics of this era, we need to likewise remember the people whose work and resilience made it possible. Their story is a vital part of comprehending not just the history of Barbados however the wider history of the Caribbean and the worldwide impact of the sugar trade.
If you come across pot in a serene garden or museum, remember that it is more than a decorative piece. It is a reminder of the the slaves who tended the boiling sugar, the lives that withstood, and the strength that continues to influence.
HISTORICAL RECORDS!
Abolitionist Voices Concure on the Deadly Fate of Boiling Sugar
Accounts, such as James Ramsay's works, clarified the gruesome threats shackled employees handled in Caribbean sugar plantations. The boiling locations, with its open vats of scalding sugar, was a site of unthinkable suffering -- among many Perils of plantation life.
The Hidden Side of Sugar: - Check the link for Details
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