The Dutch Slave Trade

As can be seen in this table although the Dutch entered the slave trade earlier than the French or British, they were quickly surpassed by them in the amount of Africans trafficked to the colonies. However, prior to the Dutch Empire introducing sugarcane production to the British and French, there is very minimal involvement by either country in the Transatlantic slave trade. French and British historians go so far to say that they were persuaded by the Dutch to enter the slave trade so as to maintain the supply of labor necessary to run their plantations since the Dutch cut out all existing laborers with the expectation of maximizing their profits from incoming African slaves. Eric Williams in his writings on capitalism and slavery observes:

During this time, 100,000 Africans were transported from West Africa to the slave depot in Curacao to be sold to the Spanish. As mentioned, what the WIC appreciated both about the Spanish and the French and British were there ability to pay cash. With profits high and minimal risk involved, the Dutch, by way of the Spanish asiento contracts, dominated the Transatlantic slave trade and their monopoly was untouchable for roughly seventy-five years. This all occurred even after the WIC had lost their neighboring colonies business. What set the Dutch apart from the others was their Calvinistic, shrewd-business principals which the Spanish appreciated. Every other country purchased slaves on credit instead of cash. The Spanish felt that this was too high of a risk and preferred not to be in debt to competing markets. Unfortunately for the Netherlands, the asiento contracts soon ended. In an odd turn of events, a French bourbon became monarch over Spain and transferred the asiento contracts from the Netherlands to France. In 1714, the Spanish regained control and handed over the contracts to the British. The British were also far less brutal in their treatment of slaves, which eased the Spanish conscience. Additionally, the British offered asylum to Portuguese plantation owners who were still in debt to the WIC. This was a serious blow to the WIC since the asiento contracts were their primary

Their colony in Suriname also needed slave labor for the sugarcane plantations, but historians are uncertain as to why it took so long for the Dutch to provide Africans slaves in the first place. With the WIC’s fall from prestige, The Hague reopened the possibility of limiting the slave monopoly in the Atlantic. At first, privateers from Zeeland and Holland could participate in the slave trade only if they purchased passes from the WIC. In 1730 the monopoly officially ended, except for a sixty mile radius surrounding Fort Elmina. The main competition for the WIC came under the Middleburg Commerce Company which was also established in 1730. The MCC primarily shipped slaves to the Dutch colony in Suriname and the Dutch slave trade increased from 4000 heads under the WIC to 6000 heads a year with the inclusion of the MCC. With this increase, the Dutch transported 200,000 African slaves to Suriname, with an equal proportion of women and children to men. A reason for this includes the lack of African men available, but also a usability of African women and children on the sugarcane plantations. Once again from 1730-1770, the Dutch were one of the leaders in the Transatlantic slave trade netting exorbitant profits. A decline began shortly thereafter with less and less labor needed. From 1770 to 1775 the Dutch trafficked 3600 heads per year. Five years later, the number of slave transported was