Book Report: Capitalism & Slavery by Eric Williams
"Capitalism & Slavery," (published by The University of North Carolina Press, 1994) was written by Eric Eustace Williams and first published in 1944. Eric Williams' book, was at the time of its publication, considered years ahead of its time. It should be noted, early on within this report that, literary works on the history of the Caribbean or slavery for a matter of fact, was done by Europeans. In the preface of his book, Williams clearly asserts that his work, "is not a study of the institution of slavery but of the contribution of slavery to the development of British capitalism."1 His work takes an economic view of history, which is at the core of his arguments and thus essential to understanding how his arguments and ideas are ultimately formulated. The author himself sums it up best, when he clearly states that his work is, "first a study in English economic history and second in West Indian and Negro history.2 His main thesis is that, "the commercial capitalism of the eighteenth century was built up on slavery and monopoly, while the Industrial capitalism of the nineteenth century destroyed slavery and monopoly."3
Economics was at the core of Williams' thesis; it interlinks slavery, the rise of British capitalism, African slave trade and the emancipation of slave in the Caribbean. The triangular trade involved trade between England, North America, the West Indies and England in the eighteenth century. The triangular trade would be crucial in the development of British industry, which would in turn lead to the Industrial revolution. This industrial revolution was financed through the, "accumulation of capital,"4 from salves, the key component of the labor i...
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Bibliography
1) Williams Eric, Capitalism & Slavery, The University of North Carolina Press, 1994
2) Shepherd Verene and Beckles Hilary, Caribbean Slavery in the Atlantic World, Ian Rndle Publishers Limited, 2000
3) Higman B.W., General History of the Caribbean, Unesco Publishing, 1997
4) Amazon, Capitalism & Slavery (Paperback), http://www.amazon.com/Capitalism-Slavery-Eric-Williams/dp/0807844888, accessed on 7th February 2007
5) Wikipedia, Eric Williams, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Williams, accessed on 7th February 2007
6) Solow Barbara and Engerman Stanley, British Capitalism and Caribbean Slavery: The legacy of Eric Williams, The William and Mary Quarterly, October 1989,
7) Solow Barbara and Engerman Stanley, British Capitalism and Caribbean Slavery: The legacy of Eric Williams, The Journal of American History, March1989,
David Walker was a black man that aimed to inspire American blacks to achieve the freedom they deserve. He grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina and his early childhood biography has little detail. His dad was a slave and his mother was free. His date of birth was estimated to be around 1797. In North Carolina, the blacks greatly outnumbered the whites. Although there were more blacks, they only had a small amount of them that were free. Walker’s childhood definitely had a great impact on his mindsight to feel the need to speak up for the blacks. Wilmington taught him a lot about how slaves were treated poorly and the history of their suffering. Also, there were certain things happening in Charleston that led him to the rebellion. Charleston happened to be the center for free blacks that had major goals. These ambitious blacks started many foundations as a group such as the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Authorities discovered this church and tried to stop it, making the blacks more on-edge. Although these events were eventually put to a rest, it was
The aforementioned topics of establishment in the New World and treatment of slaves on plantations were recurring throughout the book. The book did a good job illustrating why Caribbean countries like Barbados were central in the triangular trade between England, the West Indies, and America commonly comes up in middle school history classes. One of the hard to believe aspects of the book is the idea that merchants seemed to stumble into their fortune and were only where they were due to the work done by the slaves from before sun rise to after sun
Although a practice not viewed positively by all, slavery, a least in this document, could be justified in the eyes of slavers.
10. Richmond, Douglas. “The Legacy of African Slavery in Colonial Mexico, 1519-1810.” Journal of Popular Culture 35, no. 2 (2001): 1-17.
Phillips' book is an attempt to provide an overview of the practice and institutions of slavery in the Americas from its beginnings to the 19th century. Writing in 1918, Phillips hoped to provide an account of slavery based upon historical evidence and modern methods of research, rather than ideological motivations. He drew his evidence from the plantation records and letters of slave owners; contemporary travel accounts; court records and legal documents; newspaper articles; and in some instances, the recordings of slaves themselves, rather than what he viewed as more biased sources such as abolitionist writings. While this approach was not systematic and led him to base many of his conclusions upon subjective evidence and an over reliance upon particular chroniclers of the South, the bulk of his findings are supported by subsequent scholarship.
Within the economy a great development had been achieved when the upper south handed its power to the lower south all due to the rise of an agricultural production. This expansion was led by the excessive growth of cotton in the southern areas. It spread rapidly throughout America and especially in the South. During these times it gave another reason to keep the slavery at its all time high. Many wealthy planters started a ‘business’ by having their slaves work the cotton plantations, which this was one of a few ways slavery was still in full effect. Not only were there wealthy planters, at this time even if you were a small slave-holder you were still making money. While all of this had been put into the works, Americans had approximately 410,000 slaves move from the upper south to the ‘cotton states’. This in turn created a sale of slaves in the economy to boom throughout the Southwest. If there is a question as to ‘why’, then lets break it d...
Chambers, Glenn A. . "From Slavery to Servitude: The African and Asian Struggle for Freedom in Latin America and the Caribbean." Herbert S. Klein and Ben Vinson III. 36.
The Dutch seaborne empire (London, 1965) Canny, Nicholas: The Oxford History of the British Empire,vol I, TheOrigins of the Empire (New York 1998) Curtin, Philip D: The rise and fall of the plantation complex:essays in Atlantic history (Cambridge, 1990). Dunn, Richard S: Sugar and Slaves (North Carolina,1973) Haring, C.H: The Spanish Empire in America(New York, 1947) Hemming, John: Red gold: the conquest of the Brazilian Indians (Southampton 1978) Hobbhouse, Henry: Seeds of Change: Five plants that transformed mankind (1985) Mattoso, Katia M de Queiros: To be a slave in Brazil 1550-1888 (New Jersey, 1986) Mintz, Sidney W: Sweetness and Power (New York 1985) Winn, Peter: Americas:The changing face of Latin America and the Caribbean (California, 1999)
8. Shepherd, Verene. Engendering History: Caribbean Women in Historical Perspective. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995.
Klein, Herbert S. The middle passage: Comparative studies in the Atlantic slave trade. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press , 1978. 282. Print.
Times have changed - what was acceptable 30 years ago may not hold up in today’s world. Racially offensive mascots have created division - not unity. If teams like the Indians, Braves and Redskins were to change their names and update their branding, they could potentially benefit more than by holding on to offensive, outdated traditions. Why would a professional sports organization settle for fewer fans, less revenue, and an image that offends its own citizens? By...
In the “Interpretive Essay”, Kenneth Banks discuses the consequences of the Atlantic slave trade. The negative effects on the Africans due to the Atlantic slave trade range from the influence on Africans societies and warfare, inhumane and atrocious living and working conditions, decrease of their population, and the long-term impact of bigotry. During the Atlantic save trade’s peak, the movement to abolish slavery started because it went against certain religious beliefs, several thinkers saw it as inefficient, and was unethical.
Rediker, Marcus. The Slave Ship A Human History. New York, New York: Penguin Group, 2007. Print.
Beckles, Dr. Hillary, Verene Shepherd. Caribbean Slave Society and Economy. The New Press, New York. New York, N.Y. 1991.
Today we give praise to those who participated in the journey to terminate the Atlantic Slave Trade in 1807. As we pay tribute to the end of that practice, it is ethical that we give thanks to the philanthropists such as William Wilberforce and additional people who were persistent to end the repugnant act. Although we give abundant honor to those who willingly participated in the Anti Slave Trade act, we must never forget the essential position the slave resistance and the Haitian Revolution had in the abolishment of the slave trade and eventually slavery as an entirety. The Haitian Revolution was important in American and British colonies. History shows that the British governmental class was terrified by the Haitian Revolution and say that future imports of African captives could pose as a security threat.