Suppression Of The African Slave-Trade By W. E. B. Du Bois

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In The Suppression of the African Slave-Trade to the United States of America 1638-1870, W.E.B. (William Edward Burghardt) Du Bois discusses the efforts to suppress the African slave trade. Du Bois' book critically depicts the attempts made to restrict slaves from being imported into the thirteen colonies. Not only does he have descriptions of each state's restriction laws in each chapter, but Du Bois also adds a detailed chronological “conspectus” of colonial, state, national and international legislation restricting the African slave trade. He also includes a time line of cases documented from 1619-1864 that shows American slavers who have engaged in human trafficking to the Americas. W.E.B. Du Bois, in The Suppression of the African Slave-Trade, argued that the lack of suppression and …show more content…

They were the first slaves brought to the continent. The English quickly made their move into the slave-trading business, later developing their first successful charter company in 1672. This company known as the “Royal African Company” was formed due to a former company not being able to keep up shipping a certain amount of slaves annually. “The company contracted to supply the West Indies with three thousand slaves annually; but contraband trade, misconduct, and war so reduced it that in 1672 it surrendered its charter”.2 “The slave-trade was the very life of the colonies had, by the 1700s, became an unquestioned axiom in British practical economics”.3 The South's slave population grew rapidly. In fear of the steady increase of slaves entering the colonies, colonies such as South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia sought to abate this rapidly growing trade by passing acts to encourage immigration of white servants and imposing duties to restricted trade. Lack of support from the colonist caused the slave-trade to continue restriction free up until the start of the