Discussions of the slave trade have not been solely restricted to historians. Others like political scientists, economists, and sociologists have debated the impacts of slavery’s triangular trade in human flesh to support a variety of opinions and assumptions. Unfortunately, these opinions often stray from the undeniable reality of the slave trade. The forced relocation of generations of blacks ultimately left their home communities underdeveloped due to a lack of manpower and ingenuity while simultaneous building a New Nation based on democratic freedoms.
The Economic Factors of the Atlantic Slave Trade
As an economic generator, the Atlantic slave trade may have no equal throughout the modern era. Europe developed a method of trade and commerce that slowly become dependent on Africa as a principal consumer of European manufactured goods. Initially, the origins of the slave trade are found with tribal chiefs unable to trade anything of value except their captured enemies. While many may despise the Portuguese for accepting such a trade, they must be credited for seeing the value these captives would bring as a source of forced labor. With this, the triangular trade was set in motion.
The Atlantic slave trade provided a definite stimulus to the British economy beginning in the 18th century. While one may think the center of such a trade would be England, it was not. Instead, the focus of the initial slave trade was found with the sugar production of the West Indies. As the production and demand of sugar increased so did the influx of slaves.
Furthermore, many ancillary industries benefited for the trafficking of humans. For example, ship builders suddenly found themselves in great demand as new ships not only had to be constructed, but redesigned to accommodate human cargo. As the production of ships increased, the demand for sailors likewise increased. This benefited England in two ways: it provided crews for the slave ships while simultaneously training men to be sailors in time of war.
The Numbers of Blacks Forced into Slavery
By the 19th century, the continuance of the slave trade was an economic issue, not a moral one. Still, the numbers of slaves brought into the Americas began to dwindle. While the U.S. decreased its demand for imported slaves, other countries maintained a constant need for labor. Unfortunately, too often little attention is given to the impacts of the slave trade on Africa. The negative impacts of the removal of generations of human resources to the political and economic systems of Africa are immeasurable.
Even with the use of mathematical models and quantitative methods, there is little consensus as to the total numbers of Africans forcibly removed from their homelands and forced into slavery. In 1969, Phillip Curtain estimated that a total of approximately 9.5 million Africans were enslaved and survived the middle passage. While this number can be debated, what is more important than the accuracy of one’s models or methods is the fact that millions of blacks were stripped of their freedoms, cultures, and identities to profit a foreign economy.
Conclusion
There is little doubt that the Atlantic slave trade was an economic generator for Europe and its colonies. However, the use of mathematical models and economic analysis shifts the attention away from the real consequence of the slave trade and slavery itself. That being the forced bondage of blacks whose labor built a New Nation whose creed stated that “all men are created equal.” Obviously this did not include the sons and daughters of Africa.
Resources
Curtin, Philip. The Atlantic Slave Trade. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1969.
Eltis, David. Economic Growth and the Ending of the Transatlantic Salve Trade. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.
Inikori, J.E. “Measuring the African Slave Trade: A Rejoinder.” The Journal of African History 17, no. 4 (Oct. 1976): 607-627.
Williams, Eric. Capitalism and Slavery. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1944.
