An essay on the slave trade

This thoughtful eighteenth-century essay examines the origins and persistence of the slave trade through history, religion, and social custom. It begins by praising a fellow reformer whose arguments for abolition are grounded in philanthropy and knowledge of earlier societies, then considers how the buying and selling of human beings emerged among peoples on the border between civilization and barbarism.

Drawing on accounts of ancient and medieval Europe, the writer describes slave markets from Rome and Bristol to the northern islands, showing how commerce, entertainment, and political assemblies once existed alongside the trafficking of people. A vivid translated narrative follows a merchant displaying enslaved women to a prospective buyer, revealing the calculated judgments and dehumanizing transactions at the heart of the trade. The essay invites listeners to reflect on how ignorance, conquest, economic habit, and moral failure sustain such institutions—and on whether religion, education, agriculture, and humane laws can help bring them to an end.