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AP World History Chapter 18 The Atlantic System and Africa, 1500 1800 I. Plantations in the West Indies A. Colonization Before 1650 ? Spanish introduced sugar cane to the West Indies. ? Tobacco production became popular because of chartered panies and the availability of indentured servants. ? Dutch planters were expelled from Brazil by the Portuguese and brought the Brazilian system of sugar plantations to the West Indies. Spanish settlers introduced sugar cane cultivation into the West Indies, but it fell into neglect as attention shifted to colonizing the American mainland. In order to promote national claims without government expense, charted panies gave groups of private investors, like The Dutch West India Company, monopolies over trade in West Indies colonies in exchange for payment. In the West Indies, English colonies prospered first, largely by growing tobacco for export. By 1614 tobacco was reportedly being sold in seven thousand shops in and around London. B. Sugar and Slaves ? The switch from a tobacco economy to a sugar economy caused a sharp and significant increase in the volume of the Atlantic Slave Trade. ? There were three reasons for the shift from indentured servitude to slavery: – A decline in number of Europeans willing to be indentured. – Life expectancy of the slave was longer. – A rise in sugar prices enabled planters to invest in slaves. During the first half of the 17th century about 10,000 slaves a year arrived from Africa. The expansion of sugar plantations in the West Indies in the second half of the 17th century cause the slave trade to average 20,000 slaves per year. The decline of Europeans willing to be indentured, longer periods of servitude for slaves, and a rise in plantation owners’ wealth made owning African slaves more attractive and a better investment than indentured servants. II. Plantation Life in the 18th century A. Technology and Environment ? Machinery (rollers, copper kettles) that processed sugar into crystals, molasses, and rum was very expensive. ? Sugar production caused soil exhaustion and deforestation. ? European colonization led to the introduction of European and African plants and animals that crowded out indigenous s