The founder of economics, Adam Smith, agreed that New World slavery was morally repugnant, but he also pointed out that it was economically inefficient. In The Wealth of Nations Smith argued that “the work done by free men comes cheaper in the end than the work performed by slaves.” This is because enslaved workers who had no prospect of being freed could only be encouraged to be productive through violence and threats. At the same time, there were enormous incentives for slaves to try to sabotage their workplaces, attack their supervisors and escape from a living hell. According to Smith, the
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