The Atlantic Slave Trade and British Abolition, 1760-1810

In this major study of the European and American export slave trade from Africa in the latter half of the nineteenth century, Roger Anstey provides a detailed analysis of the trade up to the abolition of the practice by Britain in 1806-1807. Drawing on a considerable array of original material, the author focuses on three central themes. Namely: the contribution of the slave trade made to capital formation in the Industrial Revolution; the geographical, demographic, political and economic impact on Africa itself; and the emergence of the abolition movement. A substantial section of the book is devoted to this latter theme and in particular to the movement's origins, composition and relations with government during the period 1787-1807. The author concludes that no single factor ultimately brought about the abolition of the slave trade, but rather a combination of religious "enthusiasm", national interest and political circumstances.