The Rise of Cash Crops in America - Research Paper Example

The Rise of Cash Crops in America due to the Caribbean Introduction There are diverse and enormous amounts of literatures indicating the significantrole of agricultural crops in shaping the history of American people. According to Webster’s Online Dictionary, cash crops are simply crops which are grown for money (Webster, 2010, par 2). It was further indicated that “in many tropical and subtropical areas, jute, coffee, cocoa, sugar cane, bananas, oranges and cotton are common cash crops. In cooler areas, grain crops, oil-yielding crops and some vegetables predominate; an example of this is the United States, where corn, wheat and soybeans are the predominant cash crops” (Webster, 2010, par. 4). The role of planting and the increasing demand for cash crops provided the impetus for increased labor requirements in American soil, supplied by slaves in the Caribbean. In return, cash crops traded for salves “where slaves were exchanged for sugar, rum, salt, and other island products. The ships returned home loaded with products popular with the European people, and ready to begin their journey again” (The Caribbean Education Online, 2006, par. 1). In this regard, the research aims to proffer issues that would examine the influence of the Caribbean on American cash crops. Many people from the Caribbean immigrated to the United States in the 1700s and 1800s and brought with them the popularity of the cash crop business. The discourse would initially delve into cash crops, in general; and cash crops in the United States in the 18th century. With its increasing demand, the route by which these crops were traded, known to be the triangular trade, would likewise be explained. The Caribbean’s role in the trade would also be presented prior to an analysis of the significant aspects or factors that led to the increased demand and production of cash crops in America during the period under study. Cash Crops in the US As previously defined, cash crops are agricultural crops grown for the purpose of selling or trading them for money. This kind of crops was differentiated from subsistence crops which were defined as crops “fed to the producers own livestock or grown as food for the producers family. In earlier times cash crops were usually only a small (but vital) part of a farms total yield, while today, especially in the developed countries, almost all crops are mainly grown for cash. In non-developed nations, cash crops are usually crops which attract demand in more developed nations, and hence have some export value” (Webster, 2010, par. 3). During the 18th century, “the colonies of the Americas became major trading partners of European countries who extracted from them profitable cash crops of cotton, sugar, indigo, tobacco. Such cash crops were produced in plantations owned by wealthy lords and masters of European race who made up only small percentage of the colonial society. In order to tend these vast plantations it required massive work force. The answer lay in the indentured servants from the European countries and African slaves” (Spivey, 2010, par. 1). The Triangular Trade The Caribbean Education Online (CEO) revealed that the “demand for slaves to cultivate sugarcane and other crops caused what came to be known as the triangle trade. Ships leaving Europe first stopped in Africa where they traded weapons, ammunition, metal, liquor, and cloth for captives taken in wars or raids” (CEO, 2006, par. 1). More clearly, Freedom (n.d.) depicted the route of transatlantic slave trade as consisting of three journeys with the traded goods, to wit: 1. “The outward passage from Europe to Africa carrying manufactured goods (copper, manufactured cloth, silks imported from Asia, glassware, ammunition, guns, manila, and pots) 2. The middle passage from Africa to the Americas or the Caribbean carrying African captives and other commodities’ (enslaved men, women, children, and indigo) 3. The homeward passage carrying sugar, tobacco, rum, rice, cotton and other goods back to Europe (sugar, rum, rice, coffee, tobacco, and cotton)” (Freedom, n.d., par.4). Transatlantic Slave Routes Source: National Park Service (NPS) The discourse published by the NPS on the Transatlantic Slave Trade revealed that “the introduction of sugarcane as a cash crop was another factor motivating the Spanish to enslave Africans. In order to turn a profit Spanish planters needed a large, controllable work force, they turned to Africa for laborers (Reynolds 2002:14)” (NPS: Transatlantic Trade, n.d., par. 8). In addition, their topic on Which Europeans Trafficked in Slaves? indicated that “in the Americas, sugar was the driving force in the slave trade, though gold and silver were important in the earliest phase of the traffic. Coffee would later assumed the role of sugar in the final phase. American cotton would not develop as an export until after the United States abolished slave trade” (NPS: Which Europeans, n.d., 2nd to last par.) Caribbean’s Role in the Rise of Cash Crops As averred by Boyer, et.al. (2009) clearly identified the role of planting sugar cane as requiring as much labor which necessitated the employment of African slaves in the West Indies plantation. On the other hand, rice was the crop identified to have enriched settlers in Carolina which likewise required slaves to grow it. The description of the location of the Caribbean is clearly presented in CEO (Caribbean Facts) as detailed herewith: “the Caribbean stretches from 1° to 28° North latitude and 56° to 89° West longitude (Bermuda, which is lso considered part of the Caribbean is located at 32° 20N and 64° 40). The region comprises islands, island arcs, and mainland countries” (par. 1). It was also indicated that “slave labour supplied the most coveted and important items in Atlantic and European commerce: the sugar, coffee, cotton and cacao of the Caribbean; the tobacco, rice and indigo of North America; the gold and sugar of Portuguese and Spanish South America” (CEO: Caribbean Economy and Slavery, 2006, par. 1). Dunkley (2010) explained in her article entitled How the Caribbean economy was affected by slavery that “the Caribbean by and large was and is an agricultural economy founded on the backs of slavery and indentured servitude. In the regions where gold was not found, the Spaniards turned to agriculture and amongst the crops was sugar cane” (par. 1). This fact was validated by Johnson (2010) who revealed that “from the early 1600s up and until the mid1800s the Caribbean was known for three things: Sugar, Slavery and Pirates. These three factors were intertwined and set the foundation for the whole Caribbean society and economy. Sugar, Slavery and Piracy influenced the Caribbean economy even as it exists today” (par. 1). Caldwell (2010) further explained that “the first African slaves arrived on the sandy beaches of the Caribbean Islands in 1502. Over the next three centuries it is estimated that approximately 10 million African slaves were brought to the Americas. These slaves all had one thing in common- to provide the labor needed in order for the agriculture of the region, and thereby its wealth to flourish” (par. 4). Analysis The foregoing information revealed that the primary impetus which drove the participation of the Caribbean in America’s agricultural history is the rise of cash crops, particularly of sugar. As Spivey aptly evaluated, “trade demanded large work force to produce massive amounts of cash crops that were to be exported to Europe. And such work force was the African slaves. The introduction of African slaves, merely properties with no government protection to the European colonists brought about the discrimination and inferiority of the lower class (African slaves, Mulattos). Such mistreatment of specific races (African slaves and Mulattoes who made up the lower class which consisted the majority of the society) brought about instability and chaos in the social hierarchy” (Spivey, 2010, par. 6). Initially, what appeared to be a purely economic pursuit in terms of the perceived potentials to gain from trading cash crops, created instability in the social status through the trading system of the 18th century that encompassed trading enslaved men, women, and children to provide labor to till agricultural lands and to produce in demand crops which were lucrative at that time. McGranahan confirmed the participation of slaves from the Caribbean as “slaves were most numerous where landowners sought to grow staple crops for market, such as tobacco in the upper South (Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina) and rice in the lower South (South Carolina, Georgia)” (McGranahan, 2004, par. 12). The potentials for growing cash crops were firmly established and the need to propagate and increase the yield depends on a labor force that is cheap, knowledgeable, and who would sustain the requirements. The Caribbean, known for being an agricultural economy was the ultimate solution to the demand for cash crops which were earmarked back to Europe. Conclusion The research established the rationale for the crucial role that the Caribbean played in meeting the demand for the rise of cash crops in the United States during the 18 century. The transatlantic slave trade illustrated the route of goods which were exchanged between nations and included enslaved men, women and children to work on agricultural lands in America. The lure of vast profit potentials offered by cash crops during the century required vast amounts of labor provided by slaves from the middle passage of the transatlantic route. Without slavery, the sugar plantations and other cash crops could not have flourished and gained popularity in global economies in contemporary times. Total Word Count: Introduction – Conclusion 1,548 Reference List Boyer, P.S., Clark, C., Hawley, S., Kett, J.F., & Rieser, A. The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People: to 1877 Cengage Learning, 2009. Caldwell, LB 2010. How the Caribbean economy was affected by slavery, [Online]. Available at: http://www.helium.com/items/1333722-caribbean-slave-trade [Accessed 20 November 2010]. Dunkley, L 2010. How the Caribbean economy was affected by slavery, [Online]. Available at: http://www.helium.com/items/1328297-how-the-caribbean-economy-was-affected-by-slavery [Accessed 20 November 2010] Freedom n.d. Triangular Trade, [Online]. Available at: http://www.nmm.ac.uk/freedom/viewTheme.cfm/theme/triangular [Accessed 20 November 2010]. Johnson, J 2010. How the Caribbean economy was affected by slavery, [Online]. Available at: http://www.helium.com/items/1320026-slavery-caribbean-slavery-history-pirates-sugar-caribbean-economy [Accessed 20 November 2010]. McGranahan, R.W. (2004). “Slavery in America.” The American Civil War. Available http://americanrevwar.homestead.com/files/civwar/slavery.html (Accessed 21 November 2010). National Park Service (NPS) n.d. The Transatlantic Slave Trade, [Online]. Available at: http://www.nps.gov/history/ethnography/aah/AAheritage/histContextsC.htm [Accessed 21 November 2010]. Spivey, JR 2010. Americas – 18th century, [Online]. Available at: https://jspivey.wikispaces.com/Americas+KC [Accessed 20 November 2010]. The Caribbean Education Online (CEO) 2006. Slavery in the Caribbean. Available http://www.caribbeanedu.com/odyssey/Timeliner/slavery01.asp (Accessed 20 November 2010). Webster’s Online Dictionary. (2010). Extended Definition: cash crop, [Online]. Available at: http://www.websters-dictionary-online.org/definitions/cash+crops?cx=partner-pub-0939450753529744%3Av0qd01-tdlq&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=UTF-8&q=cash+crops&sa=Search#906 [Accessed 20 November 2010]. Read More