Barbados Sugar’s Unseen History
The Hidden Side of Sugar
In 18th-century Barbados, sugar production relied on cast-iron syrup kettles, a method later on adopted in the American South. Sugarcane was squashed using wind and animal-powered mills. The extracted juice was boiled, clarified, and vaporized in a series of iron pots of decreasing size to make crystallized sugar.
The Sweet Country: Barbados Sugar Economy. Barbados, often called the "Gem of the Caribbean," owes much of its historical prominence to one product: sugar. This golden crop changed the island from a little 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 foundation of enslaved labour, a truth that casts a shadow over its legacy.
Boiling Sugar: A Lealthal Job
Making sugar in the days of colonial slavery was a perilous procedure. After collecting and squashing the sugarcane, its juice was boiled in massive cast iron kettles up until it took shape as sugar. These pots, often arranged in a series called a"" train"" were heated by blazing fires that enslaved Africans needed to stoke continuously. The heat was extreme, , and the work unrelenting. Enslaved workers withstood long hours, typically standing close to the inferno, running the risk of burns and exhaustion. Splashes of the boiling liquid were not uncommon and might trigger severe, even fatal, injuries.
Living in Constant Peril
The dangers were constant for the enslaved employees charged with tending these kettles. They worked in intense heat, breathing in dangerous gases from the boiling sugar and burning fuel. The work demanded intense effort and accuracy; a minute of inattention might result in mishaps. In spite of these difficulties, shackled Africans brought exceptional ability and ingenuity to the procedure, making sure the quality of the final product. This item sustained economies far beyond Barbados" coasts.
Today, the large cast iron boiling pots points out this uncomfortable past. Spread across gardens, museums, and historical sites in Barbados, they stand as silent witnesses to the lives they touched. These relics encourage us to assess the human suffering behind the sweetness that once drove worldwide economies.
HISTORICAL RECORDS!
Abolitionist literature on The Dangers of the Boiling House
Abolitionist literature, consisting of James Ramsay's works, information the horrific dangers faced by enslaved workers in sugar plantations. The boiling home, with its dangerously hot barrels, was a deadly work environment where exhaustion and severe heat led to awful mishaps.
The Bitter Side of Sweet - See the link for Details
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