Elizabeth Heyrick (1769-1831) and Alexander McDonnell (1794-1875) held opposing views on slavery in the British colonies at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Published in 1824 and 1827 respectively, these pamphlets remain key documents in the context of post-colonial debates.

Book describes the brutal Black slave society and plantation system of Barbados and explains how this slave chattel model was perfected by the British and exported to Jamaica and South Carolina for profit. There is special emphasis on the role of the concept of white supremacy in shaping social structure and economic relations that allowed slavery to continue. The book concludes with information on how slavery was finally outlawed in Barbados, in spite of white resistance.

Prince — a slave in the British colonies — vividly recalls her life in the West Indies, her rebellion against physical and psychological degradation, and her eventual escape in 1828 in England.

Ryden challenges conventional wisdom regarding the political and economic motivations behind the final decision to abolish the British slave trade in 1807. His research illustrates that a faltering sugar economy after 1799 tipped the scales in favour of the abolitionist argument and helped secure the passage of abolition.