HIS 561 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Military Police, Ethnography, African-American Culture
23 Sep 2019
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Profit: profit margins in the 18th century was at 10%, but by the 19th century profit margins were at 50%. This is happening because the mechanics of the slaves is changing rapidly. Ships are getting bigger, faster, and lighter: transoceanic crossings went from seven months to seven weeks. Slavers managed to load the human cargo in much more efficient ways. By the 19th century both great britain and america abolished the international trade. By and large, britain was the premiere slaving power. However, it did almost no good because of the way the laws were written: before 1820, the people on board were treated as contraband property. The governor would take the slaves and then sell them in public auctions in savannah. This is essentially the same thing as been happening: only ships of a certain tonnage could be impounded. By 1820, the united states government takes federal jurisdiction. Essentially, they define the slave trade as piracy.
