Abolition as moral capital
Brown argues British antislavery gained force because opposing slavery offered a new source of moral legitimacy and national virtue. Fighting the slave trade became a way for Britons to claim the moral high ground.
Moral Capital: Foundations of British Abolitionism (Published for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture)
6 ideas
The contingency of abolition
Abolition was not made inevitable by economics or Enlightenment ideas alone, but required specific political circumstances after the American Revolution. Different events could have delayed or prevented it.
Empire, crisis, and conscience
The loss of the American colonies prompted Britons to seek moral redemption, and antislavery offered a way to reclaim national honor. Imperial humiliation helped create the appetite for a righteous cause.
Ideas need institutional carriers
Moral arguments against slavery succeeded only once embodied in organizations, religious communities, and political interests. Abstract sentiment mattered less than the vehicles that mobilized it.
Mixed motives behind reform
Reformers gained status, reputation, and political advantage from abolitionism, not only moral satisfaction. The book resists a purely altruistic reading of the movement.
Reframing the origins debate
Brown challenges both the economic-decline thesis of Eric Williams and the pure-humanitarian account of why Britain acted. He recasts the question around legitimacy and political opportunity.