How abolitionist businesses marshaled intense moral outrage over
slavery to shape a new ethics of international commerce. “East
India Sugar Not Made By Slaves.” With these words on a sugar
bowl, consumers of the early nineteenth century declared their
power to change the global economy. Bronwen Everill examines how
abolitionists from Europe to the United States to West Africa used
new ideas of supply and demand, consumer credit, and branding to
shape an argument for ethical capitalism. Everill focuses on the
everyday economy of the Atlantic world. Antislavery affected
business operations, as companies in West Africa, including the
British firm Macaulay & Babington and the American partnership
of Brown & Ives, developed new tactics in order to make
“legitimate” commerce pay. Everill explores how the dilemmas of
conducting ethical commerce reshaped the larger moral discourse
surrounding production and consumption, influencing how slavery and
freedom came to be defined in the market economy. But ethical
commerce was not without its ironies; the search for supplies of
goods “not made by slaves”—including East India
sugar—expanded the reach of colonial empires in the relentless
pursuit of cheap but “free” labor. Not Made by Slaves
illuminates the early years of global consumer society, while
placing the politics of antislavery firmly in the history of
capitalism. It is also a stark reminder that the struggle to ensure
fair trade and labor conditions continues.
General
Imprint: |
Harvard University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
September 2020 |
Authors: |
Bronwen Everill
|
Dimensions: |
235 x 156 x 34mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover - Cloth over boards
|
Pages: |
328 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-674-24098-8 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-674-24098-7 |
Barcode: |
9780674240988 |
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