The Empire Pays Back

Writer: Tony Snow

Introduction | Slave-owner compensation | Legacy of slavery | Apologies | Profit and loss

Legacy of slavery

However the termination of slavery did not bring closure. Instead it left a legacy, which many regard as the root for many of the social issues, which afflict black people in contemporary British society. These include family breakdown, poor job prospects, to crime and social exclusion. Others counter that it is used as a convenient excuse for those within the black community who fail to face up to their individual inadequacies.

In the Caribbean and Africa, slavery's legacy is not the basis for sociological debate, but a grim reality. Massive debt is prevalent and across many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. And from Senegal to Angola, Mozambique into Malawi and Tanzania, there is evidence that the depopulation and socio-political effects caused by the slave trade stunted the growth of a continent.

Estimates show that Africa's population remained static at around 100 million between 1650 and 1850 while in the same period the populations of Europe and Asia increased between twofold and threefold. The great kingdoms of Africa such as Mali, Songhai and Ghana fell into decline while the slave-trading nations prospered mightily.

Apologies >