The transatlantic slave trade was a cornerstone of capitalist expansion from "summary" of Capitalism & Slavery by Eric Eustace Williams
The emergence and expansion of capitalism in the Western world were directly intertwined with the transatlantic slave trade. This brutal system of human exploitation provided the economic foundation upon which capitalist societies flourished. The forced migration of millions of Africans to the Americas laid the groundwork for the accumulation of vast wealth and the rise of global superpowers. The transatlantic slave trade was not merely a byproduct of capitalism; it was a driving force behind the expansion of markets, the growth of industries, and the accumulation of capital. The profits generated from the trade in enslaved Africans fueled the development of industries such as sugar, cotton, and tobacco, which in turn enriched European and American merchants and investors. The wealth extracted from the labor of enslaved people provided the capital needed to finance further economic expansion and technological innovation. The commodification of human beings as property was a fundamental aspect of capitalist economies during this period. Enslaved Africans were treated as mere units of labor, bought and sold like any other commodity. Their bodies were expl...
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