ey sold quite readily for very good prices.

Although this direct trade between England and Africa was never
neglected, the slave trade with the English colonies in the West
Indies was destined to absorb the company's attention because the
supply of indentured servants[1] was never great enough to meet the
needs of the rapidly growing sugar and indigo plantations. From the
planters point of view, moreover, slaves had numerous advantages over
white servants as plantation laborers. Slaves and their children after
them were chattel property for life. The danger of rebellion was very
small because often the slaves could not even converse with one
another, since they were likely to be from different parts of Africa
and therefore to speak a different dialect. Finally, neither the
original outlay for slaves nor the cost of feeding and clothing them
was great, and therefore slaves were regarded as more economical than
indentured servants. Moreover, there was much to be said against
encouraging the lower classes of England to come to the plantations,
where they often engaged engaged in disturbances of one kind and
another. Also, after a service of a few years, it was necessary to
allow them to go where they pleased. Nevertheless, with all their
disadvantages, it may be truly said that the planters preferred the
white servants to any others. It was, however, impossible to obtain
the needed supply of labor from this source and therefore it was
always necessary to import slaves from Africa.

Previous to the accession of Charles II not many slaves were imported
into the English possessions in the West Indies. Of this small number
all but a few had been brought by the ships of the Dutch West India
Company. The Dutch centered their West India trade at the island of
Curacao, whence they could supply not only their own colonies with
slaves but those of the French, English and even the Spanish when
opportunity offered. So great was the demand for slaves and other
necessities procured from the Dutch that the English planters in the
West Indies regarded this trade as highly desirable. For instance,
when the island of Barbadoes surrendered to the Parliamentary forces,
January 11, 1652, it stipulated that it should retain its freedom of
trade and that no company should be formed which would monopolize its
commodities.[2] Nevertheless, by the Navigation Act of 1660 colonial
exports, part of which had to be carried only to England, were
conf