▁French ▁expansion ▁on ▁other ▁islands . ▁Meanwhile , ▁British ▁invest ors ▁turned ▁to ▁Asia , ▁where ▁labor ▁was ▁so ▁pl ent iful ▁that ▁sla very ▁was ▁unnecessary . ▁Williams ▁went ▁on ▁to ▁argue ▁that ▁sla very ▁played ▁a ▁major ▁role ▁in ▁making ▁Britain ▁prosper ous . ▁The ▁high ▁prof its ▁from ▁the ▁slave ▁trade , ▁he ▁said , ▁helped ▁fin ance ▁the ▁Indust rial ▁Revolution . ▁Britain ▁enjoyed ▁prosper ity ▁because ▁of ▁the ▁capital ▁gained ▁from ▁the ▁un pa id ▁work ▁of ▁slaves . ▁ ▁Since ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s , ▁numerous ▁histor ians ▁have ▁challeng ed ▁Williams ▁from ▁various ▁angles , ▁and ▁G ad ▁He uman ▁has ▁concluded , ▁" More ▁recent ▁research ▁has ▁rejected ▁this ▁conclusion ; ▁it ▁is ▁now ▁clear ▁that ▁the ▁colon ies ▁of ▁the ▁British ▁Car ib bean ▁prof ited ▁consider ably ▁during ▁the ▁Revolution ary ▁and ▁Napole onic ▁Wars ." ▁In ▁his ▁major ▁attack ▁on ▁the ▁Williams ' s ▁th esis , ▁Se ym our ▁Dres cher ▁arg ues ▁that ▁Britain ' s ▁abol ition ▁of ▁the ▁slave ▁trade ▁in ▁ 1 8 0 7 ▁resulted ▁not ▁from ▁the ▁dimin ishing ▁value ▁of ▁sla very ▁for ▁Britain ▁but ▁instead ▁from ▁the ▁moral ▁out rage ▁of ▁the ▁British ▁voting ▁public . ▁Crit ics ▁have ▁also ▁argued ▁that ▁sla very ▁remained ▁prof itable ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 3 0 s ▁because ▁of ▁innov ations ▁in ▁agricult ure ▁so ▁the ▁profit ▁mot ive ▁was ▁not ▁central ▁to ▁abol ition . ▁Richard son ▁( 1 9 9