Report by the Protector of Immigrants in Trinidad, 1872:
'The arrival of the ship *Apprentice* from Calcutta with 350 agricultural laborers has been highly satisfactory. The planters are anxious to secure their services under the five-year indenture contracts, as the estates are severely shorthanded. Since the transition from the previous system of compulsory labor, many landowners have struggled to maintain their sugar crops. The Indian immigrants, once settled in their barracks, generally adapt well to the work, though their presence requires strict colonial supervision to enforce the terms of their service.'
Which of the following was the primary cause of the migration pattern described in the passage?
- AThe voluntary migration of South Asian workers seeking high-paying industrial factory jobs in European cities.
- The abolition of chattel slavery in the British Empire, which created severe labor shortages on colonial plantations.Answer
- CThe replacement of direct British colonial administration in India with informal economic spheres of influence.
- DThe rapid spread of American food crops to South Asia during the early stages of the Columbian Exchange.
Answer
The abolition of chattel slavery in the British Empire, which created severe labor shortages on colonial plantations.
The correct answer is correct because the legal abolition of slavery in the British Empire in the 1830s led to severe labor shortages on sugar plantations in colonies like Trinidad. To replace this labor, plantation owners and colonial governments imported large numbers of indentured laborers under contracts, primarily from South and East Asia.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
The abolition of slavery led to the rise of global indentured labor networks to meet the demand for agricultural plantation labor.