Britain as a society was no doubt for and against slavery, given that its economy had major dependencies on slave-driven commerce and production. But that does

Britain as a society was no doubt for and against slavery, given that its economy had major dependencies on slave-driven commerce and production. But that does not justify a purely cynical reading. Most societies of that time did not even bother to outlaw slavery, let alone enforce those laws. There were contradictions within British society. That was an enormous advance over the many societies and nations that simply accepted slavery in that period. Societies in Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, Asia and elsewhere in Europe were open in their commitment to and acceptance of slavery as an institution. You could say that slavery was the norm historically. Britain was the exception. And as the exception, managing a global empire, it continued to have many interactions with slave-driven economies.