Editing Atlantic slave trade (section)

==Economics of slavery==
[[File:1670 virginia tobacco slaves.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Slaves processing tobacco in 17th-century Virginia]]

In 18th-century France, returns for investors in plantations averaged around 6%; as compared to 5% for most domestic alternatives, this represented a 20% profit advantage. Risks—maritime and commercial—were important for individual voyages. Investors mitigated it by buying small shares of many ships at the same time. In that way, they were able to diversify a large part of the risk away. Between voyages, ship shares could be freely sold and bought.<ref>Daudin 2004.</ref>

By far the most financially profitable West Indian colonies in 1800 belonged to the United Kingdom. After entering the sugar colony business late, British naval supremacy and control over key islands such as [[Jamaica]], [[Trinidad]], the [[Leeward Islands]], and [[Barbados]] and the territory of [[British Guiana]] gave it an important edge over all competitors; while many British did not make gains, a handful of individuals made small fortunes. This advantage was reinforced when France lost its most important colony, [[St. Domingue]] (western Hispaniola, now Haiti), to a slave revolt in 1791<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h34-np2.html |title=Haiti, 1789 to 1806 |website=www.fsmitha.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212182348/http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h34-np2.html |archive-date=12 February 2009 |access-date=14 September 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> and supported revolts against its rival Britain, in the name of liberty after the 1793 French revolution. Before 1791, British sugar had to be protected to compete against cheaper French sugar.

After 1791, the British islands produced the most sugar, and the British people quickly became the largest consumers. West Indian sugar became ubiquitous as an additive to Indian tea. It has been estimated that the profits of the slave trade and of [[West Indies|West Indian]] plantations created up to one-in-twenty of every pound circulating in the [[Economic history of Britain|British economy]] at the time of the [[Industrial Revolution]] in the latter half of the 18th century.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/topic_display.cfm?tcid=104 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226181840/http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/con_economic.cfm |title=Digital History |archive-date=26 February 2009 |website=www.digitalhistory.uh.edu}}</ref>

Following the [[Slavery Abolition Act 1833]] which gradually abolished slavery in the British Empire, the UK government took out a loan of £15 million ($4.25 billion in 2023) to compensate former slave owners for the loss of their "property" after their slaves were freed. Compensation was not given to the formerly enslaved people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Britain's Slave Owner Compensation Loan, reparations and tax havenry |date=9 June 2020 |url=https://www.taxjustice.net/2020/06/09/slavery-compensation-uk-questions/,%20https://www.taxjustice.net/2020/06/09/slavery-compensation-uk-questions/ |access-date=18 June 2020 |language=en-GB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729021319/https://www.taxjustice.net/2020/06/09/slavery-compensation-uk-questions/,%20https:/www.taxjustice.net/2020/06/09/slavery-compensation-uk-questions/ |archive-date=29 July 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-04/benedict-cumberbatch-slavery-reparations/101822368 |title=His parents urged him to keep their 'dodgy' family history quiet. Now Benedict Cumberbatch could pay |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |date=3 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240609061854/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-04/benedict-cumberbatch-slavery-reparations/101822368 |archive-date=9 June 2024}}</ref>