The RAC and the Sugar Trade

1736

For much of Antigua’s history, it was England’s “Gateway to the Caribbean.” In 1674, sugar became the primary crop when Sir Christopher Coddington settled Betty’s Hope Plantation. The demand for enslaved laborers increased dramatically in response, and they were commonly featured in wills like this one. The RAC played a role on both sides of the sugar economy—they imported enslaved people to the Caribbean and exported sugar back to England.