Richard P. Tucker
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520220874
- eISBN:
- 9780520923812
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520220874.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter takes a look at the sugar barons who built sugar plantations in the Hawaiian and Philippine Islands. The first section examines the trade in China, which was mostly cloth, timber, ...
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This chapter takes a look at the sugar barons who built sugar plantations in the Hawaiian and Philippine Islands. The first section examines the trade in China, which was mostly cloth, timber, spices, and other natural and processed products. It notes that the first Europeans who travelled to Southeast Asia and the South China Sea hoped to find sources of infinite riches and resources. These resources could be ocean resources, such as sea otter pelts and whale oil. The next section is about the discovery of the Hawaiian Islands and the plunder of sandalwood. It then discusses the American sugar barons in Hawaii and the Philippines, and notes that growing sugar cane in Hawaii was very different from growing sugar cane in other locations. The chapter also discusses the plantation system and introduces blackbirding, which is the practice of impressing unwilling laborers into service. The Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association (HSPA), sugar production, and the profits made during and after the Second World War are also discussed.Less
This chapter takes a look at the sugar barons who built sugar plantations in the Hawaiian and Philippine Islands. The first section examines the trade in China, which was mostly cloth, timber, spices, and other natural and processed products. It notes that the first Europeans who travelled to Southeast Asia and the South China Sea hoped to find sources of infinite riches and resources. These resources could be ocean resources, such as sea otter pelts and whale oil. The next section is about the discovery of the Hawaiian Islands and the plunder of sandalwood. It then discusses the American sugar barons in Hawaii and the Philippines, and notes that growing sugar cane in Hawaii was very different from growing sugar cane in other locations. The chapter also discusses the plantation system and introduces blackbirding, which is the practice of impressing unwilling laborers into service. The Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association (HSPA), sugar production, and the profits made during and after the Second World War are also discussed.
April Merleaux
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781469622514
- eISBN:
- 9781469622538
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469622514.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, Imperialism and Colonialism
This chapter explores the sugar crisis of the 1920s which was caused by oversupply and declining prices and how it was interpreted by policymakers through the interwoven stories of child labor ...
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This chapter explores the sugar crisis of the 1920s which was caused by oversupply and declining prices and how it was interpreted by policymakers through the interwoven stories of child labor reform, sugar tariffs, colonial administration in the Philippines, and Mexican immigration restriction. It first considers reformers' interest in agricultural child labor in the 1910s before turning to contentious debates over the employment of children in the beet fields. It then discusses the issue of race in comparative costs of sugar production and goes on to explain how child labor became intertwined with the debates over sugar tariffs and immigration restrictions against Mexicans. The chapter concludes by assessing the consequences of the 1930 tariff, which introduced rates much higher than the already high duties of the early 1920s.Less
This chapter explores the sugar crisis of the 1920s which was caused by oversupply and declining prices and how it was interpreted by policymakers through the interwoven stories of child labor reform, sugar tariffs, colonial administration in the Philippines, and Mexican immigration restriction. It first considers reformers' interest in agricultural child labor in the 1910s before turning to contentious debates over the employment of children in the beet fields. It then discusses the issue of race in comparative costs of sugar production and goes on to explain how child labor became intertwined with the debates over sugar tariffs and immigration restrictions against Mexicans. The chapter concludes by assessing the consequences of the 1930 tariff, which introduced rates much higher than the already high duties of the early 1920s.
William A. Green
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198202783
- eISBN:
- 9780191675515
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198202783.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
This chapter discusses the plantation economy of the West Indies colony, focusing on its sugar production, which dominated the Caribbean economy. In all the West Indian colonies, sugar was the ...
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This chapter discusses the plantation economy of the West Indies colony, focusing on its sugar production, which dominated the Caribbean economy. In all the West Indian colonies, sugar was the principal product, and was even the sole product of some. Plantations were significant in the West Indies colonies as they formed the basic social and economic units on the islands, providing the focus of identity and allegiance among the slaves. Colonial revenue depended heavily on the state of sugar plantation, the legislatures and mechanisms of society were dominated by sugar planters, the militia was ruled by the sugar plantation owners, and the public calendar depended on the seasonal requirements of sugar production. By the turn of 1830, the West Indian sugar economy was in jeopardy, as the old colonies were faced by mounting competition as a result of Britain's acquisition of foreign sugar colonies during the Napoleonic wars. These foreign sugar plantations contributed 46 per cent of colonial sugar that was exported to the United Kingdom from 1830 to 1834. The acquisition of foreign sugar colonies led to increased colonial sugar production, resulting in a decrease in prices. Not only did the rudiments of sugar production change during this period, but also the market demand and prices. The colonial sugar plantations furthermore encountered attacks on the basic cornerstones of the West Indian economic system. Slave labour, home market monopoly, and absenteeism were challenging the emerging humanitarian societies and the competing market interests.Less
This chapter discusses the plantation economy of the West Indies colony, focusing on its sugar production, which dominated the Caribbean economy. In all the West Indian colonies, sugar was the principal product, and was even the sole product of some. Plantations were significant in the West Indies colonies as they formed the basic social and economic units on the islands, providing the focus of identity and allegiance among the slaves. Colonial revenue depended heavily on the state of sugar plantation, the legislatures and mechanisms of society were dominated by sugar planters, the militia was ruled by the sugar plantation owners, and the public calendar depended on the seasonal requirements of sugar production. By the turn of 1830, the West Indian sugar economy was in jeopardy, as the old colonies were faced by mounting competition as a result of Britain's acquisition of foreign sugar colonies during the Napoleonic wars. These foreign sugar plantations contributed 46 per cent of colonial sugar that was exported to the United Kingdom from 1830 to 1834. The acquisition of foreign sugar colonies led to increased colonial sugar production, resulting in a decrease in prices. Not only did the rudiments of sugar production change during this period, but also the market demand and prices. The colonial sugar plantations furthermore encountered attacks on the basic cornerstones of the West Indian economic system. Slave labour, home market monopoly, and absenteeism were challenging the emerging humanitarian societies and the competing market interests.
William A. Green
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198202783
- eISBN:
- 9780191675515
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198202783.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
This chapter discusses the impact of free trade on the production of sugar, consumption of sugar in mainland Britain, and the West Indies' market competitiveness. In 1846, Lord John Russell passed ...
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This chapter discusses the impact of free trade on the production of sugar, consumption of sugar in mainland Britain, and the West Indies' market competitiveness. In 1846, Lord John Russell passed the Sugar Duties Act, which equalized the tariff imposed on foreign sugar, both free and slave grown. This Act provoked a massive barrage of protests wherein it was argued that the free trade of sugar would cause the expansion of the slave trade across the Atlantic and would lead to the irrevocable social and economic regression of the freedmen. Following the introduction of free trade, the West Indies suffered economic downfall. However, although free trade jeopardized the West Indian sugar industry, it did not destroy it. As the price of sugar fell, planters were forced to double output to get the same gross income. To meet these goals, they sought solutions through the immigration of an Indian and Asian labour force – an immigration deemed unwelcome by the planters. Free trade also encouraged the adoption of the share-cropping system known as the métayer system, wherein planters divided their lands among freedmen to be cultivated in exchange for a small percentage. The Encumbered Estates Act of 1854, which was designed to facilitate the sale of properties laden with complicated debts, was legislated in a vain attempt to save the plantations.Less
This chapter discusses the impact of free trade on the production of sugar, consumption of sugar in mainland Britain, and the West Indies' market competitiveness. In 1846, Lord John Russell passed the Sugar Duties Act, which equalized the tariff imposed on foreign sugar, both free and slave grown. This Act provoked a massive barrage of protests wherein it was argued that the free trade of sugar would cause the expansion of the slave trade across the Atlantic and would lead to the irrevocable social and economic regression of the freedmen. Following the introduction of free trade, the West Indies suffered economic downfall. However, although free trade jeopardized the West Indian sugar industry, it did not destroy it. As the price of sugar fell, planters were forced to double output to get the same gross income. To meet these goals, they sought solutions through the immigration of an Indian and Asian labour force – an immigration deemed unwelcome by the planters. Free trade also encouraged the adoption of the share-cropping system known as the métayer system, wherein planters divided their lands among freedmen to be cultivated in exchange for a small percentage. The Encumbered Estates Act of 1854, which was designed to facilitate the sale of properties laden with complicated debts, was legislated in a vain attempt to save the plantations.
Stuart B. Schwartz
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807828755
- eISBN:
- 9781469603667
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/9780807895627_schwartz.5
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
Historically, sugar production in plantations entailed large labor inputs that usually involved coercion in the form of slavery. Elements of sugar production such as coerced labor, large estates, ...
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Historically, sugar production in plantations entailed large labor inputs that usually involved coercion in the form of slavery. Elements of sugar production such as coerced labor, large estates, flows of capital and labor to the producing units, and of its production back to European markets, constitute what is called the “sugar revolution.”. This chapter provides a historical overview of the sugar economies in the early Atlantic colonies. It discusses the sugar plantation system and its development as part of the “sugar revolution.”Less
Historically, sugar production in plantations entailed large labor inputs that usually involved coercion in the form of slavery. Elements of sugar production such as coerced labor, large estates, flows of capital and labor to the producing units, and of its production back to European markets, constitute what is called the “sugar revolution.”. This chapter provides a historical overview of the sugar economies in the early Atlantic colonies. It discusses the sugar plantation system and its development as part of the “sugar revolution.”
César J. Ayala
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- July 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807847886
- eISBN:
- 9781469605050
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/9780807867976_ayala.11
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
This chapter discusses the occupation of Cuba and Puerto Rico by the United States in 1898 and the gradual expansion of imperial influence over the Dominican Republic, which culminated in the ...
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This chapter discusses the occupation of Cuba and Puerto Rico by the United States in 1898 and the gradual expansion of imperial influence over the Dominican Republic, which culminated in the occupation of that island by U.S. Marines in 1916–24. This, in turn, led to an impressive expansion of sugar production across the Spanish Caribbean. Sugar production for export, however, was not new to the islands. The study of European and U.S. imperialism in the colonial world too often emphasizes the metropolitan side of the process of underdevelopment at the expense of local social actors. Underdevelopment then appears as an inevitable, unchangeable course determined exclusively by the will and social agency of metropolitan forces. Social transformation promoted by colonial actors appears impossible because only the wider forces of the world market seem to have any bearing on the course of development.Less
This chapter discusses the occupation of Cuba and Puerto Rico by the United States in 1898 and the gradual expansion of imperial influence over the Dominican Republic, which culminated in the occupation of that island by U.S. Marines in 1916–24. This, in turn, led to an impressive expansion of sugar production across the Spanish Caribbean. Sugar production for export, however, was not new to the islands. The study of European and U.S. imperialism in the colonial world too often emphasizes the metropolitan side of the process of underdevelopment at the expense of local social actors. Underdevelopment then appears as an inevitable, unchangeable course determined exclusively by the will and social agency of metropolitan forces. Social transformation promoted by colonial actors appears impossible because only the wider forces of the world market seem to have any bearing on the course of development.
April Merleaux
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781469622514
- eISBN:
- 9781469622538
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469622514.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, Imperialism and Colonialism
This chapter considers the imperial politics of sugar in the early decades after the Spanish American War, with particular emphasis on overlapping debates about trade, migration, environmental, and ...
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This chapter considers the imperial politics of sugar in the early decades after the Spanish American War, with particular emphasis on overlapping debates about trade, migration, environmental, and imperial policies between 1898 and 1913. It examines how colonial administrators for Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Philippines addressed the challenge of regulating the flows of sugar and the labor required to produce it by making cane sugar production the major focus of their “civilizing mission.” It shows how reductions in sugar tariffs, combined with land, irrigation, and immigration policies, created landscapes favorable to producing sugar. It describes the outcome of U.S. expansionism in the early twentieth century as a cultural politics of sugar linked to notions of race and nation.Less
This chapter considers the imperial politics of sugar in the early decades after the Spanish American War, with particular emphasis on overlapping debates about trade, migration, environmental, and imperial policies between 1898 and 1913. It examines how colonial administrators for Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Philippines addressed the challenge of regulating the flows of sugar and the labor required to produce it by making cane sugar production the major focus of their “civilizing mission.” It shows how reductions in sugar tariffs, combined with land, irrigation, and immigration policies, created landscapes favorable to producing sugar. It describes the outcome of U.S. expansionism in the early twentieth century as a cultural politics of sugar linked to notions of race and nation.
Gail M. Hollander
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226349503
- eISBN:
- 9780226349480
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226349480.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Environmental History
Over the last century, the Everglades have undergone a metaphorical and ecological transition from impenetrable swamp to endangered wetland. At the heart of this transformation lies the Florida sugar ...
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Over the last century, the Everglades have undergone a metaphorical and ecological transition from impenetrable swamp to endangered wetland. At the heart of this transformation lies the Florida sugar industry, which by the 1990s was at the center of the political storm over the multi-billion dollar ecological “restoration” of the Everglades. This book situates the environmental transformation of the Everglades within the economic and historical geography of global sugar production and trade. Using, among other sources, interviews, government and corporate documents, and recently declassified U.S. State Department memoranda, the author demonstrates that the development of Florida's sugar region was the outcome of pitched battles reaching the highest political offices in the United States and in countries around the world, especially Cuba—which emerges in her narrative as a model, a competitor, and the regional “other” to Florida's “self.” Spanning the period from the age of empire to the era of globalization, the book shows how the “sugar question”—a label nineteenth-century economists coined for intense international debates on sugar production and trade—emerges repeatedly in new guises. The author uses the sugar question as a thread to stitch together past and present, local and global, in explaining Everglades transformation.Less
Over the last century, the Everglades have undergone a metaphorical and ecological transition from impenetrable swamp to endangered wetland. At the heart of this transformation lies the Florida sugar industry, which by the 1990s was at the center of the political storm over the multi-billion dollar ecological “restoration” of the Everglades. This book situates the environmental transformation of the Everglades within the economic and historical geography of global sugar production and trade. Using, among other sources, interviews, government and corporate documents, and recently declassified U.S. State Department memoranda, the author demonstrates that the development of Florida's sugar region was the outcome of pitched battles reaching the highest political offices in the United States and in countries around the world, especially Cuba—which emerges in her narrative as a model, a competitor, and the regional “other” to Florida's “self.” Spanning the period from the age of empire to the era of globalization, the book shows how the “sugar question”—a label nineteenth-century economists coined for intense international debates on sugar production and trade—emerges repeatedly in new guises. The author uses the sugar question as a thread to stitch together past and present, local and global, in explaining Everglades transformation.
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226349503
- eISBN:
- 9780226349480
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226349480.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Environmental History
This chapter explains an apparent economic contradiction: the transformation of the Everglades into an agro-industrial complex for sugarcane at great ecological and monetary cost during a period of ...
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This chapter explains an apparent economic contradiction: the transformation of the Everglades into an agro-industrial complex for sugarcane at great ecological and monetary cost during a period of oversupply depressed prices in the global sugar market. It begins by discussing the impact of World War I on U.S. sugar politics. The prospect of sugar shortages and the need to share the Cuban crop with allies provided Florida boosters with a powerful discourse in their struggle to construct a Florida sugar bowl; politically and economically interested parties developed a nationalistic and moral-geographic discourse concerning the transformation of the Everglades for sugar production. In the postwar period, under markedly different political-economic conditions for the global sugar market, protectionist policies sparked development, bringing long-promoted ideas about Florida's agro-industrial potential to fruition. The chapter demonstrates how, once established, the “Nation's Sugar Bowl” in Florida became a locus of power in the political struggles over domestic and international sugar policy.Less
This chapter explains an apparent economic contradiction: the transformation of the Everglades into an agro-industrial complex for sugarcane at great ecological and monetary cost during a period of oversupply depressed prices in the global sugar market. It begins by discussing the impact of World War I on U.S. sugar politics. The prospect of sugar shortages and the need to share the Cuban crop with allies provided Florida boosters with a powerful discourse in their struggle to construct a Florida sugar bowl; politically and economically interested parties developed a nationalistic and moral-geographic discourse concerning the transformation of the Everglades for sugar production. In the postwar period, under markedly different political-economic conditions for the global sugar market, protectionist policies sparked development, bringing long-promoted ideas about Florida's agro-industrial potential to fruition. The chapter demonstrates how, once established, the “Nation's Sugar Bowl” in Florida became a locus of power in the political struggles over domestic and international sugar policy.
April Merleaux
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781469622514
- eISBN:
- 9781469622538
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469622514.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Imperialism and Colonialism
In the weeks and months after the end of the Spanish American War, Americans celebrated their nation's triumph by eating sugar. Each of the nation's new imperial possessions, from Puerto Rico to the ...
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In the weeks and months after the end of the Spanish American War, Americans celebrated their nation's triumph by eating sugar. Each of the nation's new imperial possessions, from Puerto Rico to the Philippines, had the potential for vastly expanding sugar production. As victory parties and commemorations prominently featured candy and other sweets, Americans saw sugar as the reward for their global ambitions. This book demonstrates that trade policies and consumer cultures are as crucial to understanding U.S. empire as military or diplomatic interventions. As America's sweet tooth grew, people debated tariffs, immigration, and empire, all of which hastened the nation's rise as an international power. These dynamics played out in the bureaucracies of Washington, D.C., in the pages of local newspapers, and at local candy counters. This book argues that ideas about race and civilization shaped sugar markets since government policies and business practices hinged on the racial characteristics of the people who worked the land and consumed its products. Connecting the history of sugarto its producers, consumers, and policy makers, the text shows that the modern American sugar habit took shape in the shadow of a growing empire.Less
In the weeks and months after the end of the Spanish American War, Americans celebrated their nation's triumph by eating sugar. Each of the nation's new imperial possessions, from Puerto Rico to the Philippines, had the potential for vastly expanding sugar production. As victory parties and commemorations prominently featured candy and other sweets, Americans saw sugar as the reward for their global ambitions. This book demonstrates that trade policies and consumer cultures are as crucial to understanding U.S. empire as military or diplomatic interventions. As America's sweet tooth grew, people debated tariffs, immigration, and empire, all of which hastened the nation's rise as an international power. These dynamics played out in the bureaucracies of Washington, D.C., in the pages of local newspapers, and at local candy counters. This book argues that ideas about race and civilization shaped sugar markets since government policies and business practices hinged on the racial characteristics of the people who worked the land and consumed its products. Connecting the history of sugarto its producers, consumers, and policy makers, the text shows that the modern American sugar habit took shape in the shadow of a growing empire.
Alejandro de la Fuente
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807828755
- eISBN:
- 9781469603667
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/9780807895627_schwartz.9
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
Colonial Cuba is a period that corresponds to the rise and expansion of sugar production, slavery, and export-oriented sugar plantations at the end of the eighteenth century. This chapter describes ...
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Colonial Cuba is a period that corresponds to the rise and expansion of sugar production, slavery, and export-oriented sugar plantations at the end of the eighteenth century. This chapter describes the attempts to build sugar mills and the obstacles placed by the Spanish colonial system on the growth of the sugar economy during the 1600s. By examining the early stages of sugar production in Cuba, it attempts to fill a significant gap in the historiography of sugar and slavery in the Americas.Less
Colonial Cuba is a period that corresponds to the rise and expansion of sugar production, slavery, and export-oriented sugar plantations at the end of the eighteenth century. This chapter describes the attempts to build sugar mills and the obstacles placed by the Spanish colonial system on the growth of the sugar economy during the 1600s. By examining the early stages of sugar production in Cuba, it attempts to fill a significant gap in the historiography of sugar and slavery in the Americas.
Stuart B. Schwartz
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807828755
- eISBN:
- 9781469603667
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/9780807895627_schwartz.10
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
This chapter discusses the introduction of sugarcane and the beginnings of the sugar industry in Brazil from 1550–1670. It begins with an overview of the Brazilian sugar economy and the expansion of ...
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This chapter discusses the introduction of sugarcane and the beginnings of the sugar industry in Brazil from 1550–1670. It begins with an overview of the Brazilian sugar economy and the expansion of the industry in the Atlantic market. This is followed by a brief overview of the Dutch experience with sugar production during their occupation of the Brazilian Northeast (1630–54). The chapter also examines the extensive use of sharecropping and other forms of contract, the transition from indigenous labor force to African slaves, and increased sugar shipping from Brazil during the period of the industry's rapid growth.Less
This chapter discusses the introduction of sugarcane and the beginnings of the sugar industry in Brazil from 1550–1670. It begins with an overview of the Brazilian sugar economy and the expansion of the industry in the Atlantic market. This is followed by a brief overview of the Dutch experience with sugar production during their occupation of the Brazilian Northeast (1630–54). The chapter also examines the extensive use of sharecropping and other forms of contract, the transition from indigenous labor force to African slaves, and increased sugar shipping from Brazil during the period of the industry's rapid growth.
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226349503
- eISBN:
- 9780226349480
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226349480.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, Environmental History
This chapter focuses on the half-century preceding World War I, when the international political economy of sugar production and trade captured the world's attention. During this time, published ...
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This chapter focuses on the half-century preceding World War I, when the international political economy of sugar production and trade captured the world's attention. During this time, published debates, international conferences on the “sugar question,” and attempts by national governments to forge international sugar agreements proliferated. The development of the European beet-sugar industry and accompanying global surpluses posed a challenge to promoters of U.S. agricultural interests, who saw in domestic sugar production a regional development strategy. Florida boosters, especially, saw in the modernizing Cuban industry both an exemplary model and a formidable competitor. The chapter shows how changing ideas of sugar, of Florida, and of the U.S. role in the Caribbean shaped the context in which southern agricultural boosters promoted the establishment of a sugar industry. In so doing they articulated an “imagined economic geography,” a necessary but insufficient precursor to the development of a regional cane belt. These “imagined economic geographies” were quite detailed, including land measurements and speculation on potential labor sources, profits, and economic multipliers.Less
This chapter focuses on the half-century preceding World War I, when the international political economy of sugar production and trade captured the world's attention. During this time, published debates, international conferences on the “sugar question,” and attempts by national governments to forge international sugar agreements proliferated. The development of the European beet-sugar industry and accompanying global surpluses posed a challenge to promoters of U.S. agricultural interests, who saw in domestic sugar production a regional development strategy. Florida boosters, especially, saw in the modernizing Cuban industry both an exemplary model and a formidable competitor. The chapter shows how changing ideas of sugar, of Florida, and of the U.S. role in the Caribbean shaped the context in which southern agricultural boosters promoted the establishment of a sugar industry. In so doing they articulated an “imagined economic geography,” a necessary but insufficient precursor to the development of a regional cane belt. These “imagined economic geographies” were quite detailed, including land measurements and speculation on potential labor sources, profits, and economic multipliers.
Louis A. Pérez Jr.
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781469651422
- eISBN:
- 9781469651446
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469651422.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
This chapter examines the process by which the expansion of sugar production, that is, agriculture for export, displaced production of food stuff, that is, displaced agriculture for domestic ...
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This chapter examines the process by which the expansion of sugar production, that is, agriculture for export, displaced production of food stuff, that is, displaced agriculture for domestic consumption.Less
This chapter examines the process by which the expansion of sugar production, that is, agriculture for export, displaced production of food stuff, that is, displaced agriculture for domestic consumption.
Reinaldo Funes Monzote
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- July 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807831281
- eISBN:
- 9781469604671
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/9780807888865_funes_monzote
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
This environmental history of Cuba since the age of Columbus emphasizes the two processes that have had the most dramatic impact on the island's landscape: deforestation; and sugar cultivation. ...
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This environmental history of Cuba since the age of Columbus emphasizes the two processes that have had the most dramatic impact on the island's landscape: deforestation; and sugar cultivation. During the first 300 years of Spanish settlement, sugar plantations arose primarily in areas where forests had been cleared by the royal navy, which maintained an interest in management and conservation for the shipbuilding industry. The sugar planters won a decisive victory in 1815, however, when they were allowed to clear extensive forests, without restriction, for cane fields and sugar production. This book considers Cuba's vital sugar industry through the lens of environmental history. It demonstrates how the industry that came to define Cuba—and upon which Cuba urgently depended—also devastated the ecology of the island.Less
This environmental history of Cuba since the age of Columbus emphasizes the two processes that have had the most dramatic impact on the island's landscape: deforestation; and sugar cultivation. During the first 300 years of Spanish settlement, sugar plantations arose primarily in areas where forests had been cleared by the royal navy, which maintained an interest in management and conservation for the shipbuilding industry. The sugar planters won a decisive victory in 1815, however, when they were allowed to clear extensive forests, without restriction, for cane fields and sugar production. This book considers Cuba's vital sugar industry through the lens of environmental history. It demonstrates how the industry that came to define Cuba—and upon which Cuba urgently depended—also devastated the ecology of the island.
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226349503
- eISBN:
- 9780226349480
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226349480.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, Environmental History
This chapter argues that the newly established Florida sugar industry now faced three problems in expanding its production and profits: competition for quota share, labor supply, and water control. ...
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This chapter argues that the newly established Florida sugar industry now faced three problems in expanding its production and profits: competition for quota share, labor supply, and water control. It begins by offering a fresh interpretation of the domestic political maneuverings behind the 1930s Sugar Acts, arguing that Florida's sugar interests played a hitherto unrecognized role. The Sugar Acts were the main tool of New Deal sugar policies, which were intended to balance the competing interests of sugar-producing regions through a system of quota allocation. With the legislative establishment of quotas, political competition among producing regions intensified, and new discursive strategies of place-based comparisons emerged. The chapter demonstrates how ideas about sugar and national security were used to restructure the geography of the regional labor market with the help of the federal government. Finally, it examines how the federal government addressed the third problem facing the industry when the Army Corps of Engineers undertook the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project, economically justified in part by the potential for increased sugar revenue.Less
This chapter argues that the newly established Florida sugar industry now faced three problems in expanding its production and profits: competition for quota share, labor supply, and water control. It begins by offering a fresh interpretation of the domestic political maneuverings behind the 1930s Sugar Acts, arguing that Florida's sugar interests played a hitherto unrecognized role. The Sugar Acts were the main tool of New Deal sugar policies, which were intended to balance the competing interests of sugar-producing regions through a system of quota allocation. With the legislative establishment of quotas, political competition among producing regions intensified, and new discursive strategies of place-based comparisons emerged. The chapter demonstrates how ideas about sugar and national security were used to restructure the geography of the regional labor market with the help of the federal government. Finally, it examines how the federal government addressed the third problem facing the industry when the Army Corps of Engineers undertook the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project, economically justified in part by the potential for increased sugar revenue.
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226349503
- eISBN:
- 9780226349480
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226349480.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, Environmental History
This chapter considers the challenges posed by the rapid growth of plantation production in rural Florida. The geographic expansion of the industry raised new questions about the treatment of labor ...
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This chapter considers the challenges posed by the rapid growth of plantation production in rural Florida. The geographic expansion of the industry raised new questions about the treatment of labor and the downstream environmental impacts of agriculture in the Everglades Agricultural Area. From 1965 to 1985, the sugar question gained prominence during successive administrations, as presidents from Lyndon Johnson through Jimmy Carter sought to achieve a balance in U.S. sugar policy between foreign policy initiatives and domestic political realities. Moreover, each administration sought not only to balance U.S. sugar policy, but to use sugar quotas as the means to build and maintain circles of influence in foreign affairs that extended beyond the realm of commodity interests per se. In the context of the Cold War, sugar was still seen as a tool of regional agro-industrial development; however, the emphasis was on foreign rather than domestic regional development.Less
This chapter considers the challenges posed by the rapid growth of plantation production in rural Florida. The geographic expansion of the industry raised new questions about the treatment of labor and the downstream environmental impacts of agriculture in the Everglades Agricultural Area. From 1965 to 1985, the sugar question gained prominence during successive administrations, as presidents from Lyndon Johnson through Jimmy Carter sought to achieve a balance in U.S. sugar policy between foreign policy initiatives and domestic political realities. Moreover, each administration sought not only to balance U.S. sugar policy, but to use sugar quotas as the means to build and maintain circles of influence in foreign affairs that extended beyond the realm of commodity interests per se. In the context of the Cold War, sugar was still seen as a tool of regional agro-industrial development; however, the emphasis was on foreign rather than domestic regional development.
Cesar J. Ayala
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- July 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807847886
- eISBN:
- 9781469605050
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/9780807867976_ayala
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
Engaging conventional arguments that the persistence of plantations is the cause of economic underdevelopment in the Caribbean, this book focuses on the discontinuities in the development of ...
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Engaging conventional arguments that the persistence of plantations is the cause of economic underdevelopment in the Caribbean, this book focuses on the discontinuities in the development of plantation economies in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic in the early twentieth century. It analyzes and compares the explosive growth of sugar production in the three nations following the War of 1898—when the U.S. acquired Cuba and Puerto Rico—to show how closely the development of the Spanish Caribbean's modern economic and social class systems is linked to the history of the U.S. sugar industry during its greatest period of expansion and consolidation. The author examines patterns of investment and principal groups of investors, interactions between U.S. capitalists and native planters, contrasts between new and old regions of sugar monoculture, the historical formation of the working class on sugar plantations, and patterns of labor migration. In contrast to most studies of the Spanish Caribbean, which focus on only one country, his account places the history of U.S. colonialism in the region, and the history of plantation agriculture across the region, in comparative perspective.Less
Engaging conventional arguments that the persistence of plantations is the cause of economic underdevelopment in the Caribbean, this book focuses on the discontinuities in the development of plantation economies in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic in the early twentieth century. It analyzes and compares the explosive growth of sugar production in the three nations following the War of 1898—when the U.S. acquired Cuba and Puerto Rico—to show how closely the development of the Spanish Caribbean's modern economic and social class systems is linked to the history of the U.S. sugar industry during its greatest period of expansion and consolidation. The author examines patterns of investment and principal groups of investors, interactions between U.S. capitalists and native planters, contrasts between new and old regions of sugar monoculture, the historical formation of the working class on sugar plantations, and patterns of labor migration. In contrast to most studies of the Spanish Caribbean, which focus on only one country, his account places the history of U.S. colonialism in the region, and the history of plantation agriculture across the region, in comparative perspective.
Genaro Rodríguez Morel
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807828755
- eISBN:
- 9781469603667
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/9780807895627_schwartz.8
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
This chapter examines the sugar economy of Española in the sixteenth century. It begins with a historical overview of the introduction of sugarcane from Madeira and the rapid growth of the sugar ...
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This chapter examines the sugar economy of Española in the sixteenth century. It begins with a historical overview of the introduction of sugarcane from Madeira and the rapid growth of the sugar industry as evidenced by the construction of several sugar mills. The chapter then describes the transfer of technology between regions, the levels of sugar production, the growth of slave labor, and the decline of the sugar industry.Less
This chapter examines the sugar economy of Española in the sixteenth century. It begins with a historical overview of the introduction of sugarcane from Madeira and the rapid growth of the sugar industry as evidenced by the construction of several sugar mills. The chapter then describes the transfer of technology between regions, the levels of sugar production, the growth of slave labor, and the decline of the sugar industry.
William D. Phillips
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807828755
- eISBN:
- 9781469603667
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/9780807895627_schwartz.6
- Subject:
- History, Latin American History
For thousands of years, the Iberian Peninsula has supported fields of sugarcane, and sugar became a marginal product in the Mediterranean. This chapter surveys sugar in Iberia, including the Islamic ...
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For thousands of years, the Iberian Peninsula has supported fields of sugarcane, and sugar became a marginal product in the Mediterranean. This chapter surveys sugar in Iberia, including the Islamic and Christian origins of the industry and its subsequent development. It discusses Iberia's role as a sugar producer, and traces the geographical distribution of sugar production and aspects of its internal organization.Less
For thousands of years, the Iberian Peninsula has supported fields of sugarcane, and sugar became a marginal product in the Mediterranean. This chapter surveys sugar in Iberia, including the Islamic and Christian origins of the industry and its subsequent development. It discusses Iberia's role as a sugar producer, and traces the geographical distribution of sugar production and aspects of its internal organization.
