Discovering Global Past Ch. 4 and Ways of the World Ch 14

Ways of the World speaks, in chapter 14, of the maritime expansion of Europe (which was a unique phenomenon). By the mid-18th century, the Europeans had extended their empires throughout most of the Americas. It goes on to discuss the many developments which took place there, including the enslavement of the Aztecs and the Incas (as well as the bustling cities which were developed on their land) and the importance of the American foods crops in providing nourishment to the ever-growing population of Europeans. It goes on to discuss another important crop: sugar. It is used for a variety of things from a medicine, to a sweetener, to a preservative. However, this crop came with a dire cost, as the deadly conditions those who were forced to produce it had to endure resulted in a 5-10 percent fatality rate. Other Empire also began to rise around this time, such as the Russian Empire and the Mughal Empire.

Discovering Global Past talks, in chapter 4, about sugar in even more detail. Although cheap now, at the time, sugar was actually extremely expensive and valuable. It also continued to describe the harsh conditions needed to prepare commercial sugar. This led to the necessity of forced labor in order to make it a viable business.To this day, I can think of many jobs which are relegated to those without education or other options that no one else would willfully engage in due to the working conditions. It is interesting how technology has both the promise of eliminating the need for humans to do a lot of menial labor, but at the same time it often comes (as sugar did) with a whole new set of pitfalls for humans.