Britain’s Slave Empire

The British Empire carried more Africans into bondage across the Americas than any other nation. Not only did the British slavers of the 17th and 18th centuries do the most to hone the art of the Africa Trade, the country also benefited financially more than any of its competitors. James Walvin retells the story of how the international commodity market in slaves operated, how transportation over thousands of miles by sailing ship was possible, the trading rules, the experience of slaves both in bondage and as freedmen, and presents a new account of the critical relationship between slavery and how it changed the course of Britain’s cultural life.