Barbados and its Importance

What was the role of Barbados?

The island of Barbados was claimed by England in 1625, and became part of the British Empire.

What was the importance of Barbados?

Barbados was important for the wealth it produced.

• ❖ At first, Barbados was used for growing tobacco. Although this was a profit-rich crop, the planters could not complete with the tobacco plantations in America.
• ❖ In the 1640s, sugar became the main crop on Barbados.
• ❖ By 1667, 80% of Barbados was given over to growing sugar cane. This brought in vast profits for the plantation owners.
• ❖ Overall, more than half of the sugar that came from the Caribbean to England had been grown on Barbados.
• ❖ The earliest workers on the Caribbean plantations were indentured servants.
• ❖ Over time most of the work was done by enslaved Africans. By 1710, 80% of the island's population were slaves.