West Indian Slavery and British Abolition, 1783-1807This book challenges conventional wisdom regarding the political and economic motivations behind the final decision to abolish the British slave trade in 1807. Recent historians believe that this first blow against slavery was the result of social changes inside Britain and pay little attention to the important developments that took place inside the West Indian slave economy. David Beck Ryden's research illustrates that a faltering sugar economy after 1799 tipped the scales in favor of the abolitionist argument and helped secure the passage of abolition. Ryden examines the economic arguments against slavery and the slave trade that were employed in the writings of Britain's most important abolitionists. Using a wide range of economic and business data, this study deconstructs the assertions made by both abolitionists and antiabolitionists regarding slave management, the imperial economy, and abolition. |
Contents
The Atlantic Economys Political and Economic Power | 19 |
Jamaican Planters and the London West India Interest 40 Cate | 41 |
The Production and Distribution of Jamaican Muscovado | 83 |
Copyright | |
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abolition abolitionists absentees American Revolution antislavery argued argument Atlantic Slave Trade Barritt to Nathaniel Beckford bill Britain British Caribbean British slave trade British sugar British West Indies Cambridge cane Capitalism and Slavery Caribbean Clarkson colonial system Crop Accounts debate Domingue DUSC duties Economic History Edward Long Edward Long Papers eighteenth century Engerman England estimates exports February February 27 foreign George Hibbert historians hogsheads hundredweight important Jamaican planters James Chisholme Kingston Knox labor Letter Letterbook lobby London Lord Penrhyn March mercantilist muscovado Nathaniel Phillips Negroes output Parliament Parliamentary PD vol percent Pitt plantation Planters and Merchants political production profits Ragatz Ramsay Simon Taylor slave population Slebech Society of West Society's Stephen Fuller sugar estates sugar planters sugar prices SWIPM Table Thomas Barritt University Press West India interest West India Merchants West India Planters West Indian William William Beckford