Work

Technology, slavery and the Falmouth Water Company of Jamaica, 1799–1805

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: Slave societies such as Jamaica were among the earliest regions to adopt new technologies, suggesting that slavery was not synonymous with economic backwardness. This article uses the efforts of the Falmouth Water Company to adopt the new hydraulic ram between 1799 and 1805 to show that this process was also not restricted to the plantation sector and that the island possessed an unexpected capacity for technological adaption. This was based on local skills in mechanical and civil engineering derived from the plantation sector, and a wider political and financial background that supported innovation when the right conditions were in place.

Source: Slavery and Abolition

DOI: 10.1080/0144039x.2017.1366105

Author: Aaron Graham

Institution: University College London

Language: English

Topic: Colonialism, slavery, and trade

Subfield: Anthropology

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: green

Funders: Leverhulme Trust, University College London, Jesus College, University of Cambridge, Jesus College, University of Oxford