Tropical Babylons : Sugar and the Making of the Atlantic World, 1450-1680

The idea that sugar, plantations, slavery, and capitalism were all present at the birth of the Atlantic world has long dominated scholarly thinking. In nine original essays by a multinational group of top scholars, Tropical Babylons re-evaluates this so-called "sugar revolution." The most comprehensive comparative study to date of early Atlantic sugar economies, this collection presents a revisionist examination of the origins of society and economy in the Atlantic world. Focusing on areas colonized by Spain and Portugal (before the emergence of the Caribbean sugar colonies of England, France, and Holland), these essays show that despite reliance on common knowledge and technology, there were considerable variations in the way sugar was produced. With studies of Iberia, Madeira and the Canary Islands, Hispaniola, Cuba, Brazil, and Barbados, this volume demonstrates the similarities and differences between the plantation colonies, questions the very idea of a sugar revolution, and shows how the specific conditions in each colony influenced the way sugar was produced and the impact of that crop on the formation of "tropical Babylons--multiracial societies of great oppression. Alejandro de la Fuente, University of Pittsburgh Herbert Klein, Columbia University John J. McCusker, Trinity University Russell R. Menard, University of Minnesota William D. Phillips Jr., University of Minnesota Genaro Rodriguez Morel, Seville, Spain Stuart B. Schwartz, Yale University Eddy Stols, Leuven University, Belgium Alberto Vieira, Centro de Estudos Atlanticos, Madeira The idea that sugar, plantations, slavery, and capitalism were all present at the birth of the Atlantic world has long dominated scholarly thinking. In nine original essays by a multinational group of top scholars, Tropical Babylons re-evaluates this so-called'sugar revolution.'The most comprehensive comparative study to date of early Atlantic sugar economies, this collection presents a revisionist examination of the origins of society and economy in the Atlantic world.Focusing on areas colonized by Spain and Portugal (before the emergence of the Caribbean sugar colonies of England, France, and Holland), these essays show that despite reliance on common knowledge and technology, there were considerable variations in the way sugar was produced. With studies of Iberia, Madeira and the Canary Islands, Hispaniola, Cuba, Brazil, and Barbados, this volume demonstrates the similarities and differences between the plantation colonies, questions the very idea of a sugar revolution, and shows how the specific conditions in each colony influenced the way sugar was produced and the impact of that crop on the formation of'tropical Babylons--multiracial societies of great oppression.Contributors:Alejandro de la Fuente, University of PittsburghHerbert Klein, Columbia UniversityJohn J. McCusker, Trinity UniversityRussell R. Menard, University of MinnesotaWilliam D. Phillips Jr., University of MinnesotaGenaro Rodriguez Morel, Seville, SpainStuart B. Schwartz, Yale UniversityEddy Stols, Leuven University, BelgiumAlberto Vieira, Centro de Estudos Atlanticos, Madeira

The idea that sugar, plantations, slavery, and capitalism were all present at the birth of the Atlantic world has long dominated scholarly thinking. In nine original essays by a multinational group of top scholars, Tropical Babylons re-evaluates this so-called "sugar revolution." The most comprehensive comparative study to date of early Atlantic sugar economies, this collection presents a revisionist examination of the origins of society and economy in the Atlantic world.

Focusing on areas colonized by Spain and Portugal (before the emergence of the Caribbean sugar colonies of England, France, and Holland), these essays show that despite reliance on common knowledge and technology, there were considerable variations in the way sugar was produced. With studies of Iberia, Madeira and the Canary Islands, Hispaniola, Cuba, Brazil, and Barbados, this volume demonstrates the similarities and differences between the plantation colonies, questions the very idea of a sugar revolution, and shows how the specific conditions in each colony influenced the way sugar was produced and the impact of that crop on the formation of "tropical Babylons"—multiracial societies of great oppression.

Tropical Babylons' Explores The Early Development Of The Sugar Industry Across The Atlantic World, Using Case Studies From Iberia, Brazil, Islands Of The Caribbean & Of The Atlantic Itself To Illustrate The Differences In Technology, Plantation Management & The Social Consequences Of The 'sugar Revolution. Introduction / Stuart B. Schwartz -- Sugar In Iberia / William D. Phillips Jr. -- Sugar Islands : The Sugar Economy Of Madeira And The Canaries, 1450-1650 / Alberto Vieira -- The Sugar Economy Of Española In The Sixteenth Century / Genaro Rodrguez Morel -- Sugar And Slavery In Early Colonial Cuba / Alejandro De La Fuente -- A Commonwealth Within Itself : The Early Brazilian Sugar Industry, 1550-1670 / Stuart B. Schwartz -- The Atlantic Slave Trade To 1650 / Herbert Klein -- The Expansion Of The Sugar Market In Western Europe / Eddy Stols -- The Sugar Industry In The Seventeenth Century : A New Perspective On The Barbadian Sugar Revolution / John J. Mccusker And Russell R. Menard. Edited By Stuart B. Schwartz. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Note on Weights and Currencies......Page 14 1 Introduction......Page 18 2 Sugar in Iberia......Page 44 3 Sugar Islands: The Sugar Economy of Madeira and the Canaries, 1450–1650......Page 59 4 The Sugar Economy of Española in the Sixteenth Century......Page 102 5 Sugar and Slavery in Early Colonial Cuba......Page 132 6 A Commonwealth within Itself: The Early Brazilian Sugar Industry, 1550–1670......Page 175 7 The Atlantic Slave Trade to 1650......Page 218 8 The Expansion of the Sugar Market in Western Europe......Page 254 9 The Sugar Industry in the Seventeenth Century: A New Perspective on the Barbadian ‘‘Sugar Revolution’’......Page 306 Contributors......Page 348 A......Page 350 B......Page 351 C......Page 352 D......Page 353 F......Page 354 G......Page 355 L......Page 356 M......Page 357 N......Page 358 P......Page 359 S......Page 360 T......Page 362 W......Page 363 Z......Page 364 Contents 8 Acknowledgments 12 Note on Weights and Currencies 14 1 Introduction 18 2 Sugar in Iberia 44 3 Sugar Islands: The Sugar Economy of Madeira and the Canaries, 1450–1650 59 4 The Sugar Economy of Española in the Sixteenth Century 102 5 Sugar and Slavery in Early Colonial Cuba 132 6 A Commonwealth within Itself: The Early Brazilian Sugar Industry, 1550–1670 175 7 The Atlantic Slave Trade to 1650 218 8 The Expansion of the Sugar Market in Western Europe 254 9 The Sugar Industry in the Seventeenth Century: A New Perspective on the Barbadian ‘‘Sugar Revolution’’ 306 Contributors 348 Index 350 A 350 B 351 C 352 D 353 E 354 F 354 G 355 H 356 I 356 J 356 K 356 L 356 M 357 N 358 O 359 P 359 Q 360 R 360 S 360 T 362 U 363 V 363 W 363 Y 364 Z 364 9780807828755 Introduction / Stuart B. Schwartz Sugar in Iberia / William D. Phillips Jr. Sugar islands : the sugar economy of Madeira and the Canaries, 1450-1650 / Alberto Vieira The sugar economy of Española in the sixteenth century / Genaro Rodríguez Morel Sugar and slavery in early colonial Cuba / Alejandro De La Fuente A commonwealth within itself : the early Brazilian sugar industry, 1550-1670 / Stuart B. Schwartz The Atlantic slave trade to 1650 / Herbert Klein The expansion of the sugar market in Western Europe / Eddy Stols The sugar industry in the seventeenth century : a new perspective on the Barbadian "sugar revolution" / John J. McCusker and Russell R. Menard. It has in recent years become something of a commonplace to say that the origins of merchant capital and slavery in th Atlantic world were intimately and intrinsically tied to the production of sugar.