Slavery in America

In his recent history of slavery in the New World, David Brion Davis records some surprising facts about American slavery. Prior to 1820, for instance, African slaves were more numerous than European settlers by a ratio of 5 to 1. About 5-6 percent of slaves in the Western hemisphere were in North America – about 500,000 – compared to about 3.5 million in Brazil. Contrary to some accounts, Davis claims that slavery was efficient and profitable, which makes the British opposition to slavery all the more remarkable. Davis claims that WEH Lecky was correct when he claimed that England’s abolition of slavery was motivated not by self-interest but by moral repugnance against the institution.