#26 - Concept Reference, Must Be True, Subject Perspective

[Luke Haqq]

Hi ashpine17!

Answer choice (B) states, "the motives behind Britain’s abolition of slavery were primarily economic."

To your specific question, yes, Eltis would agree that there were economic motivations to Britain's abolition of slavery. That is different from the language of answer choice (B), however, which is about the motives behind abolition being "primarily" economic.

Based on the passage, we can't say that both Drescher and Eltis would agree with (B). Drescher says that economic motives alone cannot account for abolition (line 19), but that doesn't necessarily deny that the primary motives were still economic. And Eltis clearly talks about economic motives, but I'm not seeing specific language that commits Eltis to the view that the motives were "primarily" economic. The closest I see is the first paragraph in which Williams argues that the motives were primarily economic (line 4), and then a comment in the final paragraph that Eltis thinks Williams' "insight into the economic motives for abolition was partly accurate" (lines 57-58). There's a stronger case that Eltis would agree with (B), but without a firm position from Drescher on it, we can't be sure that both would agree with it.

[altyson99]

Hi,

I chose B over A, though I agree, the sentence stating "... Drescher concludes that such support cannot be explained by economic interest alone.." is not strong enough to support B's language "the motives behind Britain's abolition of slavery were primarily economic."

But, I have an issue with A's strong language stating "people of all classes in Britain supported the abolition of slavery." The second paragraph states, "Yet, aside from demonstrating that such support must have resulted at least in part from widespread literacy and a tradition of political activism..." , and this sounds like the support for Drescher's belief that people of all classes in Britain wanted to abolish slavery. But how does this prove that people of ALL classes wanted slavery abolished? This support mentions literacy and political activism, both of which were aspects of life primarily relevant to the upper classes. I'm not seeing the support for the middle class or even the lower class. Perhaps the lower class feared that if the slave traded ended, then the British elites would then enslave their own (ie the people in the lower class). This idea is even brought up in the final paragraph, "notables even called for the enslavement of unemployed laborers who roamed the British countryside."

Can you please explain where the support for people of ALL CLASSES comes from (specifically from Drescher)? I feel like I have to make an assumption to agree with answer A. Even if antislavery petitions garnered the most support and that support was the result of literacy and political activism, how do we know that includes people from every class in Britain between 1780-1830?

Thank you in advance.

[Luke Haqq]

Hi altyson99!

You ask,

Can you please explain where the support for people of ALL CLASSES comes from (specifically from Drescher)?

There seems to be good support for this at lines 12-15: "Drescher has reconstructed the populist characteristics of British abolitionism, which appears to have cut across lines of class, party, and religion." The italicized language indicates support from all classes, support that "cut across lines of class."