the industrial revolution meant that by the nineteenth century Britain no longer relied on slave trade to such an extent. Another consideration is the role of the enlightenment on the British people, the concept of slavery no longer fit the morality of the people, this feeling was reinforced by anti-slavery campaigning and the increasing unrest amongst the slaves. Fundamental to the debate to what the most significant factor in securing the freedom of slaves could be argued to be the relative importance of economic factors in precipitating abolition1. Firstly lets recognize that the limitations of slave labour in terms of economic prosperity has been acknowledged by historians as a factor contributing to the emancipation in 1833. Adam Smith observed that slaves were ‘very seldom inventive’, his theory suggests that slaves were inherently inefficient2.
In the early years of the campaign, the abolitionists had great success in raising awareness and obtaining public support. The abolitionist Thomas Clarkson had an enormous influence on William Wilberforce, a fellow abolitionist, who was also a member of parliament for Hull, later representing Yorkshire. He and others were campaigning for an end to the trade in which British ships were carrying black slaves from Africa, in terrible conditions, to the West Indies as goods to be bought and sold. However, just because Wilberforce had the power, doesn't mean he was the one who truly abolished the slave trade; Thomas Clarkson however influenced William to represent the issue, therefore creating the theory that Clarkson did more for the abolishment. Wilberforce was persuaded
It’s important to understand that slavery wasn’t because of racism but because the pursuit of profit. Slavery was by all definitions unpaid labor which helped build our new world (D’Souza, pg. 467). It’s not so much that race defined slavery relations, but that slavery defined race relations, “Racism developed and spread in America as an ideology to rationalize the enslavement and exploitation of black by a white master class” (D’Souza, pg. 467).
Mercantilism allowed for the belief that wealth was power and that a country’s power could therefore be measured in gold and silver—placing wealth at the forefront of their minds. Colonists were to help supply Britain with the resources Britain lacked (i.e. tobacco and sugar). The Navigation Laws, Wool, Hat, and Iron Acts, and the Molasses Act were all instituted to achieve the goal of mercantilism; they limited trade with countries other than Britain and prevented Americans from earning profit on anything that could potentially be earned for the British. All these acts, however, were loosely enforced and barely protested by colonists.
The studying of the relationship between whites and blacks during their exploitation by wealthy planter elites can explain the evolution of racism in American society. The Seventeenth century was an era were race played little significance, were the pursuit of economic wealth by colonial elites was valued above everything else, and a colour blind policy was adopted towards exploitation. The most convenient place to study the evolution of racism is the plantation society in early Virginia. The English presence on American soil was first seen with the Jamestown settlement of 16072. The high hopes of land filled with gold were soon dashed by the confrontation of hostile indigenous Indians and constant experiences of starvation by the settlers.
Book Review The Many Headed-Hydra: Sailors, Slaves, Commoners and the Hidden History of the Revolutionary Atlantic A huge portion of America’s history is shrouded in mist due to most historians only interested in glorifying the triumphs of our “founding fathers” instead of the efforts of the people below them. Authors Peter Linebaugh and Marcus Rediker attempt to bring to light the slaves and other lower class citizens; and the arduous conditions they had to endure to satisfy their superiors or slave owners. They believe these diverse groups of individuals were “essential to the rise of capitalism and the modern, global economy” (Peter and Rediker 6-7). This book is a significant contribution to the darker side of America’s history, giving credit where it is due (7). The title of the book refers to a creature from Greek mythology, a “many-headed” serpent.
Instead of focusing on the obvious unconstitutional and emotional treachery of slavery which is very much overdone, the economic event was very much overlooked. Though its strong economic gain for the entire nation forever impacted our dominance, the negative effects will always pour through. It was the existence of slavery, with its negative impact on politics, economics, and social relations that fatally crippled the South in its bid for independence. The slave trade eventually played a central role in determining the fate of the South, as a business that created a unified South under proslavery ideology and encouraged western migration to preserve the institution of slavery. As mentioned by William Harper, “The cultivation of the great staple crop cannot be carried on without slaves.” (Harper, Memoir in Slavery, 1837) In a time of western expansion and the cotton boom, some slave traders were able to accumulate great wealth from the slave-trading business and sought opportunities to acquire higher social status and financial stability.
Some could say because no other slavery country had been divided on the issue of slavery. The United States was divided on the issue of slavery, the North was anti-slavery because there was little to no need free labor, however the south depended heavily on slave’s free labor to maintain high profits and high levels of production. In early America, slaves were a minor portion of the labor force and later became a vital asset to the economy. The slave population in America had a dramatic increase from the late 1700s to the early 1860s. Expansion of the country, invention of the cotton gin, and greater demand for cotton were all contributing factors to the changes in the slave population in early America.
Europeans conquered America and then brought slaves from Africa and made their own benefits. They started a new political system named democracy, which is a good name to cover Plutocracy and deceiving common people by the word freedom, to reinforce their social power and positions. As this democracy, which was made by the elites, went on, the elites have conquered other parts of the world through war which seemed legitimate by democracy. Moreover, they have continued slavery that changed into the form of labor. American history has been continued by contradictions which are mixed by slavery, conquest, democracy, and freedom.
Question: Why was the Atlantic world’s race-based slavery abolished in the 19th century? For the capitalist economy that the Atlantic world was presenting, slavery was an essential source for profit. However, the act of slavery was soon looked down upon as the enlightenment ideas of natural rights, religious ideas pertaining to slavery as sin, and universal freedom, opposed the idea of slavery altogether. The elimination of slavery marked the era of social change. With time, the concerns over slavery became a controversy of the morality verse the importance of it.