British India’s association with chattel slavery

Since antiquity Africa was the preferred source of slaves due to the physical attributes of her people. Petty conflicts between African tribes usually ended with captives being sold as chattel slaves to foreigners. However, the scale of this trade greatly increased following the British conquest of India, and European colonial pursuits in adherence to Mercantilism. Mercantilism was the reigning economic philosophy till it was supplanted by Capitalism. The goal was essentially to be self-reliant in industrial production and make sure that precious commodities such as gold and silver were amassed within national boundaries. Industries were run by monopolies supported by the government through subsidies, military assistance, and explicit approval to use any means necessary to amass wealth. Methods had to be devised to pay for imports without letting stocks of precious commodities fall beyond certain levels.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the chattel slavery-based industries in the Americas boomed and produced highly profitable goods. The inhuman working conditions caused high mortality rates and constant supply of African slaves was essential. Hundreds of thousands of African slaves were shipped by Britain, and other nations. To avoid payment using precious commodities a ‘Triangular Trade’ began, with the export of colonial spoils and manufactured goods to Africa. In Africa, these items were exchanged for captives who were shipped to the Americas. Plantation products and precious metals from the Americas were then exported to Britain, where the accounts were settled and the cycle restarted, with the Empire making profits at every step. Indian cloths were a major constituent of Britain’s sales in Africa: Indian fabrics had always been popular abroad, even in Britain. After the Company’s victories in Plassey and Buxar, the Empire could claim Indian fabrics for cheap. Soon, the volume of Indian fabrics and the rising demand for slaves caused the slave trade to boom. The Seven Years’ War made Britain master of French lands in the Americas. Indian textiles were sold in greater volumes to buy slaves for the new colonies, and these possessions made the Empire even more powerful.

Saltpetre, from which gunpowder is made, was another major Indian link to slave trade. India was the leading gunpowder producer, and Europeans bought thousands of tons of saltpetre from India. Bengal and Bihar had the best deposits, controlled directly by the rulers. Indian saltpetre was used in gunpowder mills in India and abroad, and the resultant gunpowder outperformed all competitors. Once the British truly controlled Indian saltpetre, their global ascendancy was assured. British-made firearms and gunpowder made from Indian Saltpetre were highly valued in Africa, and the slave trade became even brisker.

Britain became the world’s biggest slave runner before abolishing slave trade in 1807. It was perhaps not just the horrific Haiti Slave Rebellion (1791-1804), nor the efforts of enlightened individuals and evangelical Christians which drove the abolition. British dominance in India was established in 1805 following the second Anglo-Maratha War. This ensured a better cash cow, minus the stigma. Indian peasants and labourers suffered terribly, but the Empire could claim that it was not institutionalised chattel slavery. After the abolition, British India had very limited impact on the slave trade. 

The legacy of slave trade endures: the British Empire and nations of the Americas were forged on the back of slavery. The unceasing African conflicts are also perhaps a result of that vile industry. Africans purchased firearms to capture enemies, who were sold to buy even more firearms. The very introduction of guns made slave raids more frequent, and more African lands were drawn into this business. The development of Africa suffered as relationships between communities further weakened and probable trajectories of nation-building were disrupted.  

The author, an IIM-Ahmedabad graduate working in the energy sector, has a keen interest in history, politics and strategic affairs