More than profits? The contribution of the slave trade to the Dutch economy: assessing Fatah-Black and Van Rossum

We assess Fatah-Black and Van Rossum's analysis of the Dutch slave trade by detailing six 1750s voyages of the Middelburg Commercial Company. The costs of transporting captives from Africa to Suriname are explored along with their relation to the Dutch economy. We also examine the implications...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Slavery & abolition 2016-10, Vol.37 (4), p.724-735
Main Authors:	Eltis, David, Emmer, Pieter C., Lewis, Frank D.
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Economic impact History Regions Slave trade
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	We assess Fatah-Black and Van Rossum's analysis of the Dutch slave trade by detailing six 1750s voyages of the Middelburg Commercial Company. The costs of transporting captives from Africa to Suriname are explored along with their relation to the Dutch economy. We also examine the implications of the concept 'gross margin', which is central to Fatah-Black and Van Rossum's work. We find that, given the nature of the transport costs, the impact of the slave trade on the Dutch economy was minimal, and more generally that gross margin is not a useful measure for testing the Williams Thesis.
ISSN:	0144-039X 1743-9523