Sugar: Section 5

What is the central idea of “How Sugar Changed the World”?

• Despite the hardships they faced, people who were enslaved played a key role in ushering in the Age of Freedom.

• Sugar had a profound impact on shaping trade, politics, and borders from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries.

• There were and continue to be many hidden costs in the production of sugar.

• For some sugar farmers, sugar farming represents the fulfillment of a dream and was a source of pride.

Which statement describes a purpose for writing that Whipps, Aronson, and Budhos share?

• To persuade the reader that their theories about global trade were more correct than other popular theories.

• To trace the expansion of the sugar trade around the world, including the shifting regions of production over time

• To illuminate the fact that Britain’s desire to keep the sugar islands was a contributing factor in their loss of the American colonies

• To explain the profound impact of the production and trade of sugar on global economies, governments, and societies

Think about the texts Sugar Changed the World and “Louisiana Sugarcane Farmer,” then answer the question.

How do the interpretations of sugarcane farmers differ between the two authors?

•  In “Louisiana Sugarcane Farmer” sugarcane farming is presented as a difficult profession filled with manual labor and uncertainty; whereas, in Sugar Changed the World sugarcane farming is presented as physically easy and stable work.

• In “Louisiana Sugarcane Farmer” sugarcane farmers must work to conserve their soil for future generations through soil conservation programs; whereas, in Sugar Changed the World sugarcane farmers used crop rotation to preserve the soil.

• In “Louisiana Sugarcane Farmer” sugarcane farming is presented as a profession with good and bad years for farmers; whereas, in Sugar Changed the World sugar is presented as a crop that was consistently profitable for plantation owners.

• In “Louisiana Sugarcane Farmer” sugarcane farming is presented as the fulfillment of a family dream and an important source of income; whereas, in , Sugar Changed the World , sugar plantations are portrayed negatively as exploiting workers for profit.

What are the arguments presented in "Sugar"?

• The spread of sugar consumption was boosted by loss leader sales, whereby shopkeepers would attract customers by selling sugar below cost. 

  and

  The increased production of sugar has sustained hidden costs, including economic colonization.

• As global trade in sugar increased, so too did the spread of ideas about individual liberty and human freedom.

  and

  Although Americans rebelled against their colonial masters, they did not deal with slavery and the ownership of slaves in their own country. 

What are the arguments presented in How Sugar Changed the World?

• The spread of sugar consumption was boosted by loss leader sales, whereby shopkeepers would attract customers by selling sugar below cost. 

  and

  The increased production of sugar has sustained hidden costs, including economic colonization.

• As global trade in sugar increased, so too did the spread of ideas about individual liberty and human freedom.

  and

  Although Americans rebelled against their colonial masters, they did not deal with slavery and the ownership of slaves in their own country. 

What are the arguments presented in both "Sugar" and How Sugar Changed the World?

• The spread of sugar consumption was boosted by loss leader sales, whereby shopkeepers would attract customers by selling sugar below cost. 

  and

  The increased production of sugar has sustained hidden costs, including economic colonization.

• As global trade in sugar increased, so too did the spread of ideas about individual liberty and human freedom.

  and

  Although Americans rebelled against their colonial masters, they did not deal with slavery and the ownership of slaves in their own country. 

• The demand for sugar led to a dramatic increase in slavery, the slave trade, and global production of sugar.

  and

  The increased consumption of sugar, especially by poor workers, played a key role in the industrial revolution and the transformation of the world economy.