Liverpool offered opportunities in trading goods such as cotton, sugar, tobacco, along with other vital goods but what drove economic success was the adoption of the slave trade. The city became a rapid success and looked at as, an economic powerhouse, valued for its ability to adopt “policy of cutting down expenses to the bare minimum”, allowing for high profit and exploitation of the working class (Williams, 68). “It was the slave trade which raised Liverpool from a struggling port to one of the richest and most prosperous trading centers of the world” (Williams, 68). Although an overall notion that Liverpool was an accomplished city with a thriving economic advantage, the result of the slave trade wasn’t as optimistic as presented. The slave trade in Liverpool led to exploitation of workers, imbalance of economic stability leaving social classes within division, as well-being of citizens was altered to fit the needs to the slave trade.
As Liverpool quickly became a successful port within the slave trade, citizens of this city faced altering success and social classes seemed to diminish into strong opposition from past perceptions. The division of social classes as a result of the economic imbalance, created a work system that highly benefited those within the wealthy social class and middle class; essentially economically punished anyone considered to be within the working class and poor, furthering the division and economic benefits of the slave trade. The importance is the aspect of how much further the gap was pushed during this time and that the benefits of economic success was only experienced by those who were not in the working class or considered poor. Most within the working class, their earnings were just enough to cover rent and supply a very small, limited amount food for the family. Many found themselves working for pennies on the street as “porters” or selling newspapers. Some even were ‘mudlarks’ who would go “thigh‐deep in the filthy toxic Thames mud to retrieve anything they could sell. Dogs’ turds could be collected and sold to the tanneries. Discarded cigar butts could be recycled and marketed as new” (Picard). Many people within the working class found themselves in large crowds behind gates at the dock hoping to be picked for work, often which would be inconsistent. Many women found themselves in prostitution or within sweat shops, trying to retrieve enough money to feed their children. Workhouses were created to help those who could not support themselves have work and accommodations. But instead were the holders of conditions that were unfair, work was excessively demanding with little pay, people were only feed the bare minimum to prevent starvation, and medical care was scarce. The working class and the poor became outcasts within a city that was presented as an economic capital with expanding horizons. There were instances of charity that presented hope for those who faced such hardship. The Liverpool Night Asylum was a charity ran program, giving those whom were homeless an opportunity to have shelter, unfortunately once again, the beneficial nature of the upper classes outran those of good nature, turning shelters as such into workhouses.
Although the ports of Liverpool was given seen as a grave success of economic growth within the salve trade. The overwhelmingly negative implications of such success created a larger gap between social classes and economic opportunity, fortifying exploitation of workers, imbalance of economic stability leaving social classes within division, as well-being of citizens was altered to fit the needs to the slave trade, would conclude the opposite of grave success.
Works Cited:
Picard, Liza. “The Working Classes and The Poor. .” British Library, 14 Oct. 2009, https://www.bl.uk/victorian-britain/articles/the-working-classes-and-th….
Smith , Egerton. “Description of the Liverpool Night Asylum for the Houseless Poor.” British Library, 1839, https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/description-of-the-liverpool-night-a….
Williams, Eric. “The Golden Age of the Slave System in Britain.” The Journal of Negro History, vol. 25, no. 1, Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Inc., 1940, pp. 60–106, https://doi.org/10.2307/2714402.