Abolition wasn’t fueled by just moral or economic concerns – the booming whaling industry also helped sink slavery
- Written by Topher L. McDougal, Professor of Economic Development & Peacebuilding, University of San Diego
An engraving of whalers at sea attacking a whale with a harpoon from 1820.Kean Collection/Getty Images Historians have long debated whether the end of slavery in the United States was primarily driven by moral campaigns or economic changes. But what if both perspectives are looking at only part of the puzzle?
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