The Deadly Labor of Sugar

Sweetness Forged in Fire

In 18th-century Barbados, sugar was made in 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 heated, clarified, and vaporized in a series of cast-iron pots of decreasing size to produce crystallized sugar.

Sugar in Barbados. Sugarcane growing started in Barbados in the early 1640s, when the Dutch presented sugar cane harvesting. The island's soil and favourable climate made it an ideal location for harvesting sugar. By the mid-17th century, Barbados had become one of the wealthiest colonies in the British Empire, earning the nickname "Little England."By the mid-17th century, Barbados had actually turned into one of the most affluent colonies in the British Empire, making the label "Little England." But all was not sweetness in the land of Sugar as we discover next:

The Dangerous Labour Of Sugar

In the glare of Barbados' sun-soaked shores and lively plant lies a darker tale of resilience and difficulty-- the dangerous labour behind its once-thriving sugar economy. Central to this story is the large cast iron boiling pots, essential tools in the sugar production procedure, but also traumatic signs of the gruelling conditions dealt with by enslaved Africans.

The Boiling Process: A Grueling Task

Sugar production in the 17th and 18th centuries was  a perilous process. After harvesting and squashing the sugarcane, its juice was boiled in massive cast iron kettles up until it took shape as sugar. These pots, often set up in a series called a"" train"" were warmed by blazing fires that workers needed to stoke continuously. The heat was suffocating, , and the work unrelenting. Enslaved workers sustained long hours, frequently standing near to the inferno, running the risk of burns and fatigue. Splashes of the boiling liquid were not uncommon and could cause severe, even deadly, injuries.


The Human Cost of Sweetness

The sugar industry's success came at an extreme human cost. Enslaved workers lived under brutal conditions, subjected to physical penalty, poor nutrition, and ruthless work. Yet, they demonstrated extraordinary strength. Many found methods to maintain their cultural heritage, giving tunes, stories, and abilities that sustained their neighbourhoods even in the face of unimaginable difficulty.

Today, the large cast iron boiling pots serve as tips of this unpleasant past. Spread across gardens, museums, and historical sites in Barbados, they stand as quiet witnesses to the lives they touched. These antiques motivate us to assess the human suffering behind the sweet taste that when drove global economies.


HISTORICAL RECORDS!

Abolitionist Voices Settle on the Deadly Fate of Boiling Sugar

Accounts, such as James Ramsay's works, clarified the gruesome dangers shackled workers dealt with in Caribbean sugar plantations. The boiling home, with its open barrels of scalding sugar, was a site of unimaginable suffering -- one of numerous Perils of plantation life.


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Boiling Sugar: The Bitter Side of Sweet |The Hidden Side of Sugar: A History in Iron |Sweetness Forged in Fire |
Molten Memories: The Iron Pots of Sugar |

Barbados Sugar’s Unseen History