Give Me Liberty By Eric Foner

The slave trade was a big part of the British economy during the 1700~1800’s. In the textbook “Give Me Liberty”, Eric Foner wrote a chapter dedicated to the slave trade and how it helped the economy in the Americas. British ships would sail to Western Africa and trade fine goods for slaves which would then be traded in other parts of Southern and Northern America for items such as sugar, rum, tobacco and cotton. All these things brought a massive increase to the British economy. Many people benefited from the slave trade, many of these people would send items with vessels over to Africa, and then months later would receive many valuable items that came back with that same vessel. The main reason for this trading of slaves and other items was

for money, the profit that came back from a vessel was very high and this caused many people to become ambitious of the slave trade.

The slave triangle was a triangle of three different components that made up the slave trade.

The triangle is described as, “A series of triangular trading routes crisscrossed the Atlantic, carrying British manufactured goods to Africa and the colonies, colonial products including tobacco, indigo, sugar, and rice to Europe, and slaves from Africa to the New World” (Foner, Seagull 4th, 132). One of the first port cities in Britain such as Manchester, Liverpool and Bristol would send vessels full of goods such as guns, gun powder, iron bars and alcohol to Western Africa. The crew from these ships would make very good connections with powerful tribal kings that would trade slaves for those items. Slave traders would walk thousands of African slaves across to port cities where they would be traded off for goods which were considered more important. “The loss every year of tens of thousands of men and women in the prime of their lives to the slave trade weakened and distorted West Africa’s society and economy.” (Foner, Seagull 4th, 134). Over time, the Benin kingdom took over many other parts of African kingdoms, this way expanding its kingdom and making it more profitable for the

British.

The trading of the slaves contributed a significant part of the the world’s business. Many white slave owners made the Africans work in the outside fields, dangerous weather conditions making them grow crops. Foner says, “The first mass consumer goods in international trade were produced by slaves- sugar, rice, coffee, and tobacco” (Seagull 4th,132). It was very important for the British and the colonies to have slaves because it helped their economy boost. “The growth and prosperity of the emerging society of free colonial British America” (Foner, Seagull 4th, 133). Owning slaves and putting them to work was important to the British they would compensate anyone in case one of their slaves ran-away.

In the eighteenth century, blacks did the impossible to resist enslavement in the colonies. Foner explains, “Colonial newspaper, especially in the southern colonies, were filled with advertisements for runaway slaves” (Seagull 4th, 143). Slave owners wanted their slaves to come back home to their master’s hands. They posted advertisements in the newspaper in search for their run-away slaves to come back. In an advertisement for a run-away (Pennsylvania Journal, 8/27/1747) it said, “Run-away on the 6th instant, from James…Black complexion, and a red face, took with him a brown half word coat with flash sleeves and cross pockets…Whoever takes u and secures said servant so that his master may have him again, shall have three pounds reward if taken within twenty miles, if further five pounds”. Almost all slave owners offered a compensation for returning their servants to them. If the servants were returned, masters would punish them publicly to scare other slaves not to attempt the same thing. The reason slave owners wanted their servants back was to show dominance over their property. They purchased servants to maintain not only their plantations, but also their houses. Women servants would cook for their families, and male servants would work in the outside fields. They gained a lot by owning more than one servant. Servants benefited the British and the Americans, but it also destroyed the lives of others.

When the British slave traders received the slaves from Western Africa, they loaded the slaves onto slave ships.

“Since a slave could be sold in America for twenty to thirty times the price in Africa, men, women, and children were crammed aboard vessels as tightly as possible to maximize profits” (Foner, Seagull 4th, 134). Some ships were capable of carrying more the 600 slaves. Slaves would be squashed in dark, hot and airless holds that were below deck, and would be left there for most of the voyage. One slave trader wrote, “the heights, sometimes, between decks was only eighteen inches, so that the unfortunate human beings could not turn around, or even on their sides… and here they are usually chained to the decks by their necks and legs” (Finer, Seagull 4th, 134). Some of the voyages could last up to several weeks, and not surprisingly, some slaves died on the horrific journey across the Atlantic. When reaching America slaves would be traded off for valuables such as rum, tobacco, cotton and sugar- white gold. These items would then be shipped back to England, where they would be sold for a very profitable price. This is how some of the people and economy of Britain profited from the slave trade. The consequences of these actions were good and bad. The good part was that many people benefited from the profit, but the bad part was that the benefit from profit was from destroying people's lives such as the

Africans.

In conclusion, the British slave trade was good for the economy of Britain, and even Africa and America. But the lives of thousands and thousands of Slaves were ruined due to the popular demand for these goods that were so easily traded upon using slaves. Servants were abused, tortured, discriminated, and many died trying to fight for their rights. The colonies benefited from slave labor. Even though these African slaves were set free, they still continued to be looked down upon and receive the lowest wages. Laws may be able to change, but only time can change people attitude about one and other.