Free trade’s gains for Britain came at the British West Indies’ expense

Evidence

The British found that by the abolition of the mercantile system with America, they gained instead of losing. It was the first great lesson in the advantages of free trade. But if Britain gained, the British West Indies suffered. The rising industrial bourgeoisie, feeling its way to free trade and a greater exploitation of India, began to abuse the West Indies, called them ‘sterile rocks,’ and asked if the interest and independence of the nation should be sacrificed to 72,000 masters and 400,000 slaves. — Cedric J. Robinson, Black Marxism_ The Making of the Black…, 2053

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes C. L. R. James’ The Black Jacobins, central to Robinson’s argument; also aligns with reader’s question about economic mechanics behind slavery’s decline.