Sugar and Slavery in the Americas

This course provides a broad understanding of the history of sugar and enslavement throughout the colonial period. We explore the development of sugar mills and slave plantations in Brazil, the Caribbean, and Louisiana to understand the way sugar changed the world more than any one government intended. The course then takes us through sugar’s historical and current impact on the natural environment. We explore perspectives on the health impacts of sugar consumption and build an awareness of sugar’s economic effect in markets today.