Sugar and Slaves: The Rise of the Planter Class in the English West Indies, 1624-1713

First published by UNC Press in 1972, Sugar and Slaves presents a vivid portrait of English life in the Caribbean more than three centuries ago. Using a host of contemporary primary sources, Richard Dunn traces the development of plantation slave society in the region. He examines sugar production techniques, the vicious character of the slave trade, the problems of adapting English ways to the tropics, and the appalling mortality rates for both blacks and whites that made these colonies the richest, but in human terms the least successful, in English America.

"A masterly analysis of the Caribbean plantation slave society, its lifestyles, ethnic relations, afflictions, and peculiarities.--Journal of Modern History

"A remarkable account of the rise of the planter class in the West Indies. . . . Dunn's [work] is rich social history, based on factual data brought to life by his use of contemporary narrative accounts.--New York Review of Books

"A study of major importance. . . . Dunn not only provides the most solid and precise account ever written of the social development of the British West Indies down to 1713, he also challenges some traditional historical cliches.--American Historical Review

Author: Richard S. Dunn
Publisher: Omohundro Institute and Unc Press
Published: 05/31/2000
Pages: 392
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.17lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.03w x 0.96d
ISBN: 9780807848777

About the Author
Dunn, Richard S.: - Richard S. Dunn is director of the McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.