The “Origin of Negro Slavery” is a chapter from historian Eric Williams’ classic text,Capitalism and Slavery. In this chapter, Williams advances an argument about the origin of the enslavement of Africans in the Americas. Write a short essay (NO MORE THAN TWO TYPED PAGES) discussing the following:
What is the Eric Williams thesis? What is his main argument?
According to Eric Williams, what were the principal factors driving plantation slavery in the Atlantic World?
What type of evidence supports his argument? Provide at least three pieces of evidence from the chapter.
Which interpretations of the origins of new world plantation slavery is Williams critiquing? In other words, what and who is Williams disagreeing with?
Do you agree or disagree with Williams? Why or why not?
