Britain gained many benefits from being in the slave trade. The British government, for instance, took advantage of the slave trade and made an enormous amount of tax money from this trade. The tax money came from the profits that were made from British companies that sold goods such as tobacco, sugar, and coffee. These goods were produced on plantations in the West Indies using slavery. The government then used this tax money to fund the military, for instance. With this money, the British government was able to invest in better artillery, manufacture better-equipped ships and improve the training as well as skills of soldiers. These all contributed to strengthening the military, be it the navy or the army. Due to a large number of ships …show more content…
These sailors were very experienced in sailing and possessed many skills such as navigation. The slave trade sailors then passed their experience, knowledge, and skills on to the navy, which led to a stronger navy.
The slave trade also had an impact on British people. Slavery provided many jobs in various domains for citizens in Britain. As the slave trade became a popular industry for the nation, the demand for ships increased. Consequently, many jobs were created in the shipbuilding industry, which eventually led to a higher demand for sailors. As a result of the large number of jobs that became available, the living standards in Britain improved. With more money coming into the household of British citizens, more people were able to afford small luxuries and were able to treat themselves and their family more often.
While Britain saw a growth in the job industry, factories were constructed to provide Britain with access to raw materials. The British government used the profits that were made through the trade to set up factories and fund factory jobs. Merchants and planters, who became wealthy through the slave trade, also invested their profits in factories and inventions, which helped eventually led to the Industrial
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The capital of Great Britain was home to many companies such as the Company of Adventurers to Guinea and Benin, the Royal Adventurers, and the Royal African Company. Prominent Londoners, who were in favour of slavery, established these companies. The Company of Adventurers, for instance, was founded to trade with Africa and to transport Africans slaves to America. The Royal Adventurers were widely supported by the royal family, important London merchants and other notable people in London. In 1665, the company earned roughly 100,000 pounds from the slave trade. Even the Royal African Company had major connections with the capital of Britain. Its shareholders included many distinguished people, 15 mayors of London and 25 sheriffs of London. During 1672 and 1689, the company transported around 90,000 Africans to America. This shows that London was heavily involved in the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans, due to the transport links provided by the River Thames and the London ports. As a result of this, the number of ports in London grew enormously and the capital became the largest slaving port in Britain until the 1730s. More than 50 ships a year left London to sail to West Africa. Between 1699 and 1807, 12,103 slaving voyages were made from British ports, of which London ports mounted 3,351 journeys. The slave trade brought a great deal of wealth to the London ports, as in