Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Ευρωπαϊκή ΙστορίαLibrary of the School of Philosophy
Author:
Giannatos Christos
Supervisors info:
Παπαθανασίου Μαρία , Αναπλ. Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, Εθνικό Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Γαγανάκης Κωνσταντίνος, Αναπλ. Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, Εθνικό Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Καρακατσούλη Άννα, Αναπλ. Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Θεατρικών Σπουδών, Εθνικό Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Original Title:
«Το Υπερατλαντικό Δουλεμπόριο και η σχέση του με την οικονομία, την αποικιακή πολιτική και την επέκταση της Αγγλίας/Βρετανίας στην Καραϊβική, 1660 - 1739»
Translated title:
"The Transatlantic Slave Trade and Its Relation to the Economy, Colonial Policy and the Expansion of England / Britain to the Caribbean, 1660 - 1739
Summary:
In the 18th century the Transatlantic Slave Trade reached its peak, with British ships carrying a larger number of slaves to the New World than the rest of the colonial powers. At the same time, Britain is significantly expanding its overseas holdings in the Western Hemisphere and particularly in the Caribbean. For this reason, this topic was chosen to present the relationship between Anglo-British colonial expansion and the leading position held by London in the field of the slave trade.
The first chapter deals with the beginnings of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Atlantic economic system. The Iberian kingdoms were the pioneers in the field of the slave trade, both as buyers (Spain) and as traffickers (Portugal). The First occupation of the English with the slave trade was in the form of individual missions whose main purpose was to harass Madrid’s colonial trade and not to place slaves in the English colonies of the Caribbean, as their existing productive structures were covered by European workers. The conquest of Jamaica (1655) and the passing of the first Act of Navigation (1651) will mark the beginning of a more aggressive English involvement in the Atlantic Economy. During the second half of the 17th century, London was actively engaged in the Transatlantic Slave Trade, integrating it into the government's foreign and colonial agenda.
The second chapter analyzes the way in which the English attempted to control and conduct the slave trade, in the context of a mercantilist economic view. The Royal African Company was founded in 1660 and received the privilege of the Crown to be the sole supplier of slaves to the British colonies. European rivalries are transported to the African coast (Ghana) and Portuguese, English, French and Dutch build forts on the coast through which they trade with local rulers. At that time there was an increase in demand for slaves due to the creation of sugar plantations in the Caribbean, which require a lot of labor. The end of the 17th century will find the English victorious in West Africa, but the state monopoly on the slave trade will be abolished, demonstrating the change in the correlations in English political life.
The third chapter is devoted to the Caribbean itself and to the markets of the Slave Trade. The extent of the British colonies at the beginning of the 18th century is examined, as well as the constitution of local communities with the local elites. Special mention is given to the island of Jamaica and its role as the center of the British Caribbean. After its conquest, Jamaica initially becomes a hub for adventurists and less emissaries of the Crown and operates largely independently of the imperial line. Pirates and corsairs raid either nearby Spanish colonies or ships of other European states, including slave trading ones, and the population of slaves on the island is growing rapidly in the last quarter of the 17th century.
The fourth chapter covers the economic parameters of the slave trade. The structure of triangular trade, in the form it was in the early 18th century, the importance of Caribbean agricultural products for European markets, is examined, while reference is made to the early bond and equity markets in London in the 17th and 18 centuries. The creation of the South Sea Company, which was assigned the expanded British involvement in the slave trade, is also considered important. The company also raised its capital through the British public and was the vehicle for British expansion into the Western Hemisphere in the first decades of the 18th century.
The epilogue summarizes the conclusions of the individual chapters, highlighting the political and economic reasons that prompted London to become a leader in the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
Main subject category:
History
Keywords:
Slave Trade, Caribbean, Colonialism, Economy, Monopoly, England, British Empire
Number of references:
232
