Sugar Cane and the Slave Trade Learning Objective: To understand slavery in the sugar cane plantations of the Caribbean

SLAVERY What does this word mean to you? Discuss and share your thoughts with your partner

Sugar was in demand and places like Jamaica had large plantations which needed lots of people to work to farm the sugar cane. Where do you think these people came from?

Sugar Cane and the Slave Trade People were taken from their homes in West Africa, sold into slavery by tribal chiefs and transported by ship to the plantations in the Caribbean. These slaves were sold to plantation owners who set them to work. The conditions on the slave ships were cramped and 1 in every 3 slaves died on the journey. Working on the plantation was very hard as the temperatures were very high and the hours of work were very long. If slaves tried to escape, they were tracked down and, if they were caught, they could be whipped or even hanged. This was a terrible life.

Think of words to describe the life of a slave Hardships of Slavery Think of words to describe the life of a slave

Key Questions Activities Write a diary entry for a slave working on a plantation in Jamaica. Think about: the hardships of the day; the way you are treated by the plantation owners; the jobs that you have to do to harvest the sugar cane; how you feel about your situation. Write an explanation of what slavery is and why slaves were used in the production of sugar cane. Use the key questions to scaffold your explanation. Key Questions What is slavery? Why were slaves transported to the Caribbean? What was the life of a slave like when working on a plantation?