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How Important Was the Slave Trade to the British Economy?

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The slave trade was very important to the British economy. Without the slave trade, the triangular trade would not have taken place. This is because there would have been no reason to trade slaves from Africa for goods in the West Indies and the USA. Because there were so many slaves being traded, there was plenty of sugar being exported from the sugar plantations to Britain (3,750 tons in 1951 to 9,525 tons in 1669) due to the increase in labour. This trade of sugar had a big impact on the British economy. Because of the large quantities of sugar being produced by African slaves, sugar was able to become a staple food in Britain. “The poorest English farm labourer’s wife took sugar in her tea” which suggests that even the poorest of people in Britain could afford sugar and were paying sugar tax that could flow back into the economy. A poor British family on average would dedicate 6% of their income towards the purchase of sugar. Without imports like sugar, the economy in Britain wouldn’t have been boosted in this way as before the slave trade, only the rich were able to afford sugar.
Also without the slave trade another big product, tobacco, would not have made it to Britain in such large quantities. This is because without the slaves to increase labour, tobacco could not have been produced on such a large scale. Tobacco, like sugar, was another tropical staple export that thrived in Britain. Again, tobacco was available to the British public in places like ale houses, coffee shops and markets. Smoking was very popular amongst all classes of men which meant many businesses were able to make money from its demand. Much like sugar, tobacco became easily available to the poor meaning that a higher percentage of Britain’s population were now able to contribute to the economy by purchasing tobacco.
Also, many jobs were available due to the slave trade. Industry was

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