Big Sugar Cornell Summary

SUMMARY

Everglades agriculture

Government would help the sugar industry before the draining of the wet land by Soil, labor problems, reducing output of sugar, keeping sugar prices high. Hamilton Dilston grew sugar in central Florida in 1890s. There was a .2c tariff on sugar at the time. In1893 the sugar bounty was repealed and in 1896 Dilston died. Harley Wiley, Agricultural scientist conducted sugar experiments and said America needed to produce more sugar. Cuba was modernizing sugar production after the war. In 1903 The ISCGS said they would revive the economy with Sugar. Roofus Rowes said Florida should pursue wetland drainage but WW1 Slowed the drainage process. Sugar came from Cuba but America wanted to be self-sufficient. WW1 was a boom in sugar. After WW1 sugar went up in price then slumped. In 1920 Pennsylvania sugar company bout land of 15,000 acres, and in 1929 130,000 acres of land to grow sugar. They were producing 4,000 tons of sugar a day. Charles Stewart Mott turned southern sugar company into USSC. There was many Problems with drainage and laborer’s. Mostly done by hand with machetes. Agriculture became controlled by USDA and in 1930 Agriculture became controlled by corporations. Sugar growers were given an amount they could grow and the next 40 years the sugar was controlled government with a quota system. Big sugar labor practices were questionable and Relied mostly on African American Labor which paid low wages. In 1937, Migratory division set up camps in Belle Glade Florida. FBI showed USSC had plantation villages that didn’t aligned with their image and regulators were working for the companies they were regulating. They forced Labor, had Killings, and paid low wages. They used armed guards and corporal punishment. USSC had labor shortages from the news of these practices. WW2 diverted African Americans away from agriculture which Brought Caribbean workers to pay low wages and hard labor and Exempt from American laws. Public law 45. 1943 authorizes Us government authorize Caribbean workers to work but could not leave. Section H2, of the law was implemented. Fanjuls were big sugar company from Cuba, after Castro revolution. Alfy Jr. started a massive sugar empire in Florida. In 1971 the Sugar act supposed to remain in place for 3 years but Nixon’s Watergate scandal disrupted the process. In 1981 Regan supported sugar price supports on falling prices. Regan endorsed sugar prices to increase and in 1985, Food Security act keep sugar price above world price, Decreasing imports. Americans would pay 1.5 Billion a year from the Sugar Laws. In 1995, food prices were cut but not for sugar. In 1996 Dan Miller, challenged big sugar privileges. Big sugar started targeting Miller and lobbying for his opponents. The Fanjul Family represent, Domino, Florida crystal. Etc. They are known to sucker Haitians to come work under harsh conditions. They earn 2 dollars a day and are prevented from growing gardens. The Fanjuls give a ton of money to both political parties. Alfy is a democrat and has relationships with the Clintons, and Jose “Pepe” Fanjul has a relationship with the Bushes. The contribute 450 thousand dollars on average. For their workers, a Code 1 meant they refused to work and need to be deported. US labor reported several violations but Department of Arg exonerated them. The dog war was 1986 at Fanjuls plantation. Palm beach cops were brought in, and 400 workers were deported. In 1995 H2 program ended. In, 1970s experts were researching effects of back pumping the used water into the lake. They were told to stop so they started pumping water straight into the everglades. Phosphorous started to destroy the everglades and cause many agricultural issues. Sugar industry used ½ of the water in the south and paid 1% of the tax.