th ▁century , ▁British ▁merchant ▁ships ▁were ▁the ▁largest ▁element ▁in ▁the ▁" Middle ▁Pass age ", ▁which ▁transport ed ▁millions ▁of ▁slaves ▁to ▁the ▁Western ▁Hem is phere . ▁Most ▁of ▁those ▁who ▁surv ived ▁the ▁journey ▁w ound ▁up ▁in ▁the ▁Car ib bean , ▁where ▁the ▁Empire ▁had ▁highly ▁prof itable ▁sugar ▁colon ies , ▁and ▁the ▁living ▁conditions ▁were ▁bad ▁( the ▁plant ation ▁own ers ▁lived ▁in ▁Britain ). ▁Parliament ▁ended ▁the ▁international ▁transport ation ▁of ▁slaves ▁in ▁ 1 8 0 7 ▁and ▁used ▁the ▁Royal ▁Navy ▁to ▁en force ▁that ▁ban . ▁In ▁ 1 8 3 3 , ▁it ▁bought ▁out ▁the ▁plant ation ▁own ers ▁and ▁b anned ▁sla very . ▁Histor ians ▁before ▁the ▁ 1 9 4 0 s ▁argued ▁that ▁moral istic ▁reform ers ▁such ▁as ▁William ▁Wil ber force ▁were ▁primarily ▁responsible . ▁ ▁Historical ▁revision ism ▁arrived ▁when ▁West ▁Indian ▁historian ▁Eric ▁Williams , ▁a ▁Marx ist , ▁in ▁Capital ism ▁and ▁S la very ▁( 1 9 4 4 ), ▁rejected ▁this ▁moral ▁explanation ▁and ▁argued ▁that ▁abol ition ▁was ▁now ▁more ▁prof itable , ▁as ▁a ▁century ▁of ▁sugar ▁can e ▁raising ▁had ▁exha usted ▁the ▁soil ▁of ▁the ▁islands , ▁and ▁the ▁plant ations ▁had ▁become ▁un prof itable . ▁It ▁was ▁more ▁prof itable ▁to ▁sell ▁the ▁slaves ▁to ▁the ▁government ▁than ▁to ▁keep ▁up ▁operations . ▁The ▁ 1 8 0 7 ▁prohib ition ▁of ▁the ▁international ▁trade , ▁Williams ▁argued , ▁prevent ed