Marielle Apronti
Prof. Oscar Williams
AAFS 311
4 March 2018 The Trans-Atlantic slave trade was the most important factor when considering the early development of European capitalism. The arrival of the Portuguese to the West African Coast and their establishment of trading and slave ports throughout the continent set in stone a trend of exploitation of Africa 's labor and human resources. Europeans greatly benefited from the Trans-Atlantic trade, as it allowed them to aggregate raw materials such as sugar and cotton to manufacture products that funded the Industrial Revolution. In the book “Capitalism and Slavery” by Eric Williams he addresses the origin of “Negro” history, the economic and political impact of slavery in Great Britain, the role of the American Revolution and the decline of slavery in Great Britain. William’s main argument in this book is that the rise of industrial capitalism in Europe would not have been possible without the profits derived from African slave labor. Williams does an exceptional job of demonstrating how slavery transformed England into an economic superpower. This book illustrates the economic aspects of the slave trade as it addresses who benefited from it, how it contributed to the formation of capitalism. When referencing the book by Eric Williams, “Capitalism and Slavery” the origin of Negro slavery is something in history that is disputed and misconstrued. According to William’s book slavery was caused by numerous economic