Description
Book SynopsisChallenging conventional narratives of abolitionist Britain, this book, provides a comprehensive analysis of the extent and importance of absentee slave-ownership and its impact on British society by drawing on the records of the Commissioners of Slave Compensation, who were responsible for distributing compensation to slave-owners when slavery was abolished.
Trade ReviewReview of the hardback: 'The Price of Emancipation is a well-researched and argued book, and a major contribution to the study of British history and West Indian slavery in the first half of the nineteenth century.' Stanley Engerman, Journal of Economic History
Review of the hardback: '… an important contribution to our understanding of why compensation was introduced, and how it was funded and administered.' The Black and Asian Studies Association Newsletter
Review of the hardback: 'Draper has written an outstandingly good and important work.' H-LatAm
'… a valuable contribution to emancipation studies, and most appropriate for upper-level undergraduate or graduate-level courses.' Scott Hancock, The New West Indian Guide
Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. The absentee slave-owner: representations and identities; 2. The debate over compensation; 3. The distribution of slave compensation; 4. The structure of slave ownership; 5. The large-scale rentier owners; 6. 'Widows and orphans': small-scale British slave-owners; 7. Merchants, bankers and agents in the compensation process; 8. Conclusion; Appendix.
