Wilberforce Institute Our story Business services Our work Our people PhD community Our publications News and events Contact us More Back Completed projects Debt, poverty and slavery in historical perspective Get in touch Got a question or want to collaborate? Contact us The Challenge Exploring the historical relationship between debt and slavery. Scholars of contemporary slavery often link slavery with debt, yet prior to this project, little research existed on the relationship between the debt and slavery in the past. The aim of this project was to look at the use of debt as a method of enslavement in Africa during the period c. 1600-c. 1800, when Europeans were purchasing enslaved people to transport them to the Americas for sale. Image: © Eltis & Richardson, Atlas of the Transatlantic Slave Trade (2010), Published by Yale University Debt, poverty and slavery in historical perspective revealed how debt was used to enslave Africans during the period of the transatlantic slave trade. The Approach Lead researchers Dr Judith Spicksley explored the records created by European companies involved in the transatlantic slave trade, and the travel narratives of European visitors to Africa. She investigated two specific areas – the West Coast of Africa and the West-Central Coast of Africa - uncovering common practices that led to people becoming enslaved for debt. The Impact The research revealed that debt was a more significant cause of slavery than previously thought and indicated that up to 25% of slaves may have fallen in to slavery as a result of debt. This might have been because they were held as security for debt, and sold when the debt was not repaid, because they had borrowed money for a business transaction or because they had been convicted of an offence and could not pay the fine that was demanded for it. It was also clear that the legal relationship between debt and enslavement was exploited in order to force more people into enslavement, just as it continues to be in situations of contemporary slavery. Understanding debt slavery in the past reveals much about processes of enslavement today. Get in touch Got a question or want to collaborate? Contact us Other completed research projects View all projects Completed project Redrawing Slavery Redrawing slavery: debt, law, and the market in the process of enslavement. Completed project Trans-Atlantic slave trade database Harnessing decade’s worth of research expertise in historical slavery, the database rose to the challenge of documenting the estimated 36,000 voyages taken to transport slaves. Completed project Stolen Lives A vibrant and interactive collection of films, stories and songs that use the power of imagery and music to raise awareness of modern slavery issues among schoolchildren. Completed project Remembering 1807 How did the UK mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery? With more than 300 events - now preserved in an archive. Completed project Scotland's diasporas in a global context Uncovering Scotland’s slavery past. Helping inform effective modern-day migration policies. Top Browser does not support script. Browser does not support script. Browser does not support script. Browser does not support script. Browser does not support script.