The Economic Consequences of the Atlantic Slave Trade

Download or read book The Economic Consequences of the Atlantic Slave Trade written by Barbara L. Solow and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2014-05-27 with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Economic Consequences of the Atlantic Slave Trade shows how the West Indian slave/sugar/plantation complex, organized on capitalist principles of private property and profit-seeking, joined the western hemisphere to the international trading system encompassing Europe, Africa, North America, and the Caribbean, and was an important determinant of the timing and pattern of the Industrial Revolution in England. The new industrial economy was no longer dependent on slavery for development, but rested instead on investment and innovation. Solow argues that abolition of the slave trade and emancipation should be understood in this context.