The success of this trade between mainland North America and the West Indies was based
on the introduction of sugar as the islands’ primary crop. The demand for the sweetener
in England and elsewhere was tied to the introduction of tea, coffee and cocoa—all bitter
without sugar. The dramatic rise in sugar use and the prices it commanded on the market led
island planters to devote almost all their land to sugar cane cultivation instead of growing
their own food or raising their own livestock. They cut down forests to plant the canes and
erected forts to protect their harbors from foreign powers. This concentration on one crop
meant that the islands had to import much of what they needed by water; New England was
not that far away.
Connecticut merchants kept this trade in motion. They collected “country produce” from
outlying farmers at their stores in exchange for imported goods from England and West
Indian sugar, molasses, rum and coffee. When merchants collected enough produce to fill a
vessel they hired a captain and sent a ship to islands where they had agents, family members
or friends assist in disposing of the cargo and locating enough island products to return home
with a full hold.
This trade triggered a tremendous demand for ships. While some larger 3-masted ships
were used, smaller, 2-masted vessels such as those produced at the Williams Shipyard, were
preferred. The smaller vessels could quickly be refilled with cargo for the return voyage or
there were ready buyers waiting to purchase the ships. Vessels built at Falls River Cove were
tailor-made to meet this demand and the Williams Shipyard came into existence.
By the late 1830’s the West Indies trade came to a slow, agonizing end. In 1807 England and
France were at war. To avoid being drawn into the war and prevent the capture of American
vessels, President Jefferson ordered an embargo which prevented US ships from leaving
American ports. Europeans learned how to produce sugar from sugar beets. Island planters
became heavily indebted to British bankers as productivity of their exhausted soil declined.
Slaves working at the plantations were emancipated in 1834 and began to grow their own
food. Soon the infrastructure for the sugar trade with the West Indies collapsed. Without the
lucrative sugar trade the demand for sloops and schooners rapidly declined and the Williams
Shipyard would soon be bankrupt.
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