How_Do_The_Economic_Texts_On_Slavery_Differ_From_The_Narrati

How Do The Economic Texts On Slavery Differ From The Narratives On Slavery How do the economic texts on slavery differ from the narratives on slavery, and why is it important to analyse this' In the introduction to his book Did Slavery Pay' (1971: xii), a collection of readings on the economic effects of slavery, Hugh G. J. Aitken discusses what we can learn from these texts. He says they ‘have much to tell us about slavery, and about the plantation economy, and the South, but they have little to tell us about the black man’ (1971: xii). To get a fuller understanding of the subject the narratives on slavery are extremely useful. They paint a vivid picture of what life was like for black men, women and children at the time. However it is important to keep in mind the differences between and the limitations of both these kinds of sources. Both types raise questions of bias and reliability. Everyone who gives an account of history does so with a purpose. We must carefully analyse each source and make clear what we can and cannot learn from it. The economic accounts of slavery are presented as objective. ‘Facts’ and figures are used to analyse the profitability of slavery. Ernest Williams, for example in From slavery, narratives, slave, economic, important, both, accounts, texts, reader, political, must, black, 1971, writer, white, types, time, tell, sources, slaves, slavery’, mind, life, however, douglass, aitken, about, xii, williams, subject, source, says, rather, question, provide, lot