Originally a comment by guest on Over in seconds.
Chipping in late, as I was away :)
The issue of slavery as a generator of wealth (which provides the ability to take advantage of ‘innovation’) has been considered at least since the 1960s.
Research is still ongoing – the initial findings of the Legacies of British Slavery project give the subject a surprisingly superficial treatment.
But I and others beg to differ – there is a lot more to say about the magnitude and direction of the ‘giant pool of money’ from slavery ‘compensation’ funds suddenly available for private investment in the 1830s. I believe a young man named David Turner is currently working on this.
With respect … Read the rest