Toiling in the Empire: Labor in Three Anglo-Atlantic Ports—London, Philadelphia, and Cape Coast Castle, 1750-1783

Ty M. Reese

This work redirects studies of the slave trade by focusing on the missing element of indirect participants, especially laborers. The slave trade's direct participants form our current understanding of its dimensions in the Atlantic world, but an examination of indirect participation reveals new aspects. Studying the laborers, and labor systems, that indirectly contributed to the slave trade reveals its true extent and illustrates the economic connections and interactions of the Atlantic world. By examining the slave trade's indirect participants in London and Cape Coast Castle, this paper reveals the large number of laborers whose toil contributed to the slave trade's success and profitability. Lastly, this paper demonstrates, using Philadelphia as an example, how this model can be used for ports throughout the Atlantic.

[WP # 99012]