SUGAR & SLAVERY By Prituip MARTIN This grotesque and disturbing 1789 engraving is a diagram showing how ships’ captains packed African slaves in their lower deck for transport to the Americas. Carried in the hold of one of Columbus's ships on his second voyage were some small cuttings of a plant which would prove deadly to millions of people. Notsomuch by itsconsumption— although itproduced rather unhealthy food. Andnotbecause of its manner of cultivation, although it did require alot of hard labor. But deadly because of the greed. of those who wanted to grow it for profit, including, Columbus and his sons. The plant was sugarcane. This plant had first been introduced to Spain in the 10th century by Islamic Moors. During the Crusades to the Middle East around the year 1100, many Europeans discov- ered the pleasures of sugar, and their craving for the sweetness grew and grew. As the demand grew, the Spaniards looked to increase production. But the Spanish had only a few areas where sugarcane grew well, inckuding the Ca- rary Islands in the Atlantic— Columbus's last stop before heading west. On that fateful voyage, Colum- bus loaded in some sugarcane plants. When he got to the islands of the Caribbean, he planted the tiny plants, and they thrived in the soil and the climate. Sugarcane was most profitable when grown ina plantation. A plantation isa type of farm that focuses, on a single crop (like sugarcane or coffee beans or cotton). The uniformcropall maturesabout the same time, so a plantation owner wanted lots of cheap labor — big crews of workers ready to pick, clean, and process the crop very quickly. To the sugar-plantation owners, the concept of slaves was appealing. The owners cared less about the costin human agony and more about the money they could makeifthey could buy lotsofslaves, clear as much land as possible, and control the slaves so they could not escape. The planting of the fiestsugarcane was overseen by Columbus. His son, Diego, really got the planta- tions going, At fist, the Spaniards forced the Indians to work for them, but by 1505, the Indians around. the settlements were nearly gone — driven away or killed by overwork, disease, murder, and suicide. So the Europeans tured to Africa. Between 1505 and 1888, an estimated 9.5 million Africans were brought to the Americas as slaves. About 2.5 million worked in the Caribbean, mostly on sugar plantations. For over 300 years, slavery reigned, and. millionsofhuman beingssuffered, labored interrible conditions, and died harvesting sugarcane. ‘Thesugarseason started in August orSeptember, as the slaves prepared the fields for planting. In the searing hot sun, they dug little holes and planted. cuttings of sugarcane. The crop would mature about a year and three months later. Assoonas the cane wasripe, thad tobe quickly cut, in as little as 24 hours, or it spoiled in the field. From daybreak to nighttall, the slaves cut the cane, stripped the leaves, bound together the stalks, and. loaded heavy bundles into carts that were pulled to a grinding mill located right on the plantation. The work was frantic, and the overseers used their whips to keep everyone moving ‘The slaves who ran the grinding mills had the dangerous job of feeding the cane stalks into rollers thaterushed thecane. Fingersorhandsifaughtcould. pull aman into the machine —so one man’ sjob was to stand by, with a hatchet, to chop off an arm if it was caughtin the rollers, a occasionally happened. Other slaves ran the boiling operation — hot, ‘messy, and painstaking—asthejuicesofthe crushed. cane were boiled and re-boiled, until the sotids sud- denly crystallized into sugar, which was skimmed. BEGINNINGSEnslaved Africans cutting sugarcane on a Caribbean plantation, Sugarcane was introduced to the islands in 1493 by Christopher Columbus. off the top. The liquid remaining was drained off as molasses. The boilermen’s task required skill, but they suffered many serious burns from tending the bubbling hot syrup. Why? So drinkers could sweeten their tea, or coffee, or chocolate. So people could put out plates of sweets for guests. So penny candy could be made. Somolassescould be distilled intorum, acheap form. of alcohol sold to the working class. What was the price of sweet cravings? What was the cost of the desire of Spanish plantation owners — soon joined by Portuguese, French, Dutch, English, Swedes, and Danes—to clear-cut ancient forests, to startsugarcane plantations, and tobuy slaves, so they could make a profit? All it took was a willingness to use manacles, whips, guns, swords, and torture to keep their slaves under their thumbs. What was the cost? Ask the ghosts of sugar- plantation slaves — backs broken, arms mangled, bodiesbruised andbloodied andburned—thathaunt the islands of the Caribbean, where Columbus had landed and triumphantly claimed the land to satisfy the cravings of himself, his crew, and his investors, for a new world of sweet, deadly wealth, ‘The Spaniards trained bloodhounds and organized hunting parties called rancheadores to capture runaway slaves, RETHINKING COLUMBUS 2%