The contribution of the slave trade to economic development in America triggers a lot of debate with some evidence proving positive effects while others argue to the contrary. Evidently, the trade must have had economic benefits for the Americans to commit their resources to acquiring slaves. In the Pre-Civil War period, Africans moved to the west from Africa as slaves procured by merchants (Knight 40). Upon arrival, the merchants sold them to new owners who assigned them duties on their farms. The arrival of the Africans contributed to various developments in America most of which paved way for economic development. Slave trade made significant contributions to the development of the American economy and eventually to the growth of the global economy. This paper aims at assessing the benefits of the slave trade to the economic development in the 18th and 19th century to view the trade in an economic sense hence determining its essence.
Agriculture was the backbone of the American economy in the 18th and 19th century since it offered raw materials utilized in other sectors. Americans had huge pieces of land that lay idle due to lack of labor to till and grow crops. The middle passage solved this problem by enabling the access of free labor from Africa through the Atlantic. The merchants of the slave trade procured the strong individuals for the trade to ensure their survival of the harsh conditions.
Upon reaching the American soil, they acquired new identities as slaves of American masters. These masters saw an excellent opportunity to cultivate their land and maximize the level of productivity. Americans in the South undertook cotton production and possessed vast cotton plantations where the slaves would now begin their work. The masters would assign a large number of slaves on the farms and force them to work for long hours during the day. Their job description was, therefore, to till the land with all their might and follow the strict working instructions given to them.
Working on the plantations increased production largely and the citizens began exporting the produce to other nations. The largest percentage of exports in the south constituted cotton from farms where slaves did the cultivation. The South was exporting more than 50 percent of the cotton required in the world and more than 70 percent of that cotton was being exported to Britain. Sugarcane plantations acquired labor from the slaves to till the land, plant, and harvest the sugarcanes (Tomich 111). Tobacco was another crop that benefited from the slave trade during this time since the slaves also worked on these farms. Once again, the capacity of production increased by a large margin, and spearheaded the tobacco industry. Slave trade, therefore, played a major role in the establishment of the agricultural industry in America.
Industry emergence and growth came up with the introduction of the slave trade that provided the needed skills and expertise to spearhead production. Various industries emerged due to the slave trade including the textile industry, shipping, and mining industries. Production of agricultural products relied entirely on the slaves to undertake the conversion of raw materials into finished goods. America was rich in resources that required exploitation hence the acquisition of slaves to offer the workforce needed (Knight 64). Resources only became helpful to the economy upon their exploitation to provide raw materials necessary for the operation of industries.
Slave trade began during a period when the American economy was dormant and required a force to propel it in the right direction. This was an era before industrialization and therefore most jobs required manual labor especially in the factories. The invention of the cotton gin made a major contribution to the growth and expansion of the textile industry. Slaves would grow cotton on the land and ensure its further processing into clothes. The south undertook expansive production of cotton and had numerous factories dedicated to processing the commodity.
Feeding the cotton to the machines, supervision of the progress required the input of the slaves. This improved the level of production in the textile industry, thus providing output for consumption and sale. Export of the commodity expanded the economy and encouraged the growth of other industries in the area. Exportation required shipping and exchange of money between the buyer and seller hence the growth of the shipping industry. Mining required the effort that slaves provided in excavating minerals from underground and providing them for sale. Slave trade therefore offered the push needed to grow industries in America in an effort to spearhead economic development in the region.
Slave trade offered a strong foundation for the development of trade in America, which forms the backbone of any economy. Business involves the selling and buying of commodities for a consideration hence the first requirement is the presence of commodities. Increased production due to slavery offered the needed commodities to promote trade in the region. Agricultural products, processed items, and minerals were among the available products for sale. This created the need to sell the excess supplies in exchange for the needed items. The presence of a large of population of slaves in America and the high level of trade created a business opportunity to offer various services (Thomas 47). There was demand for services such as insurance and financial services hence the creation of insurance and financial institutions. Banking was a major service provided in the area that enabled the storage of money earned from various economic activities.
Acquisition of slaves was a form of investment, and any slaveholder could count them as part of their wealth. They could, therefore, secure loans with the slaves or acquire additional land and additional slaves through them. Slaves were also a form of capital for the slaveholders that enabled them to pay debts and secure loans. They could offer slaves as collateral when requesting for loans and other forms of financial assistance. The community, therefore, viewed slaves as economic commodities that facilitated access to economic products and services. Slaves, therefore, offered a means to acquire goods and services available in the market hence facilitation of trade in the region.
Expansion of urban centers emerged due to the settling of slaves in urban areas where they played a major role in their growth. After the arrival of slaves in America, their population increased tremendously over time. Areas where they settled therefore experienced population growth hence the emergence of trade and other economic activities. With the emergence of industries, slaves moved to urban centers to work on the production of various products, which became a major part of their activities.
Approximately 10% of the slaves lived cities and worked in industries and homes of the masters (Waving 81). Offering of basic services led to the development of economic activities such as trade, transport, and manufacturing among others that create a foundation on which cities emerge. Provision of services demanded by the slave population such as financial services also contributed to the emergence of urban centers. Towns require a large population that creates demand for various good and services. This triggers businesspersons to develop products that cater to the high level of demand. Competition emerges as many suppliers join the business hence giving consumers a high level of bargaining power. These market forces were the reason for the emergence of urban centers where various suppliers emerged and the supply of commodities increased. Slave trade, therefore, made a major contribution to urbanization that emerged due to the high production capacity and high slave population.
Evidently, the slave trade had economic implications that contributed towards the growth of the American economy as well as the global economy. Its major contribution was the provision of labor for various activities, both economic and noneconomic. It led to the growth of the agricultural sector where slaves worked on farms for the growth of cotton and tobacco among other crops. This then led to the development of industries for the processing of these crops. Transportation of the crops led to the emergence of the shipping industry that enabled exportation of commodities. The widening population of slaves created demand for commodities, which led to the emergence of businesses aiming to satisfy the demand. Their settling in urban areas contributed to the growth of cities with businesses emerging in the areas to cater for their demands. The presence of high slave population also attracted the emergence of financial and insurance services needed due to the high-level economic activities (Waving 72). Trade also benefited from the slave trade due to the presence of numerous commodities for sale emerging from the high level of productivity.
Works Cited
Knight, Kerry. The Middle Passage. New York: First Freedom Publishing. 2014. Print.
Thomas, Kayeen. Antebellum. New York: Strebor Books. 2012. Print.
Tomich, Dale. Through The Prism Of Slavery: Labor, Capital, And World Economy. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Waving, James. Black Ivory: A History of British Slavery. United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishers. 2001. Print.
