Capitalism and Slavery Fifty Years Later: Eric Eustace Williams – A Reassessment of the Man and His Work

Eric Williams’ seminal work Capitalism and Slavery has received continued reassessment since publication in 1944. It must be considered one of the premier historical works of our time. Its major themes – the origins of slavery; the profitability of the slave trade and slavery; the decline of the British West Indies; and the economic motivation for emancipation – are still hotly debated. This book continues this process, however, it also explores less developed themes as well as new developments in Caribbean historiography. It also seeks to shed some insight on the issues that influenced Eric Williams and informed the purpose with which he wrote history. This reassessment celebrates a very important landmark in the book’s history, fifty years since its original publication.