The Slave Trade, Domestic and Foreign: Why It Exists, and How It May Be Extinguished

Henry Charles Carey, one of the most influential American economists of the nineteenth century, brings his analytical rigor to the moral question of his age. This treatise argues that slavery persists not merely through cruelty but through entrenched economic systems and political interests that benefit from unpaid labor. Carey deconstructs the justifications for bondage, showing how slavery stunts national prosperity, corrupts both enslaver and enslaved, and distorts market forces in ways that harm even those who profit from it. His scope extends beyond American borders to examine colonial slavery worldwide, tracing how the institution adapts to different economic contexts while maintaining its fundamental nature. The book is striking for its combination of moral passion and economic analysis - Carey believed that understanding slavery's true causes was essential to devising effective methods for its extinction. He connects abolitionist movements across the Atlantic, framing the fight against slavery as a universal moral crusade that transcends national boundaries. The work remains a vital historical document of the abolitionist cause, demonstrating how economic argument and ethical appeal could unite in the struggle for human freedom.