Towns in Plantation Societies in Eighteenth-Century British America

Eighteenth-century British American towns, particularly those in the Lower South and West Indies, were central to plantation development rather than peripheral, challenging long-held assumptions about urbanization in plantation societies. The slave trade played a pivotal role by fostering entrepreneurial activity and deep economic linkages, transforming towns like Kingston, Charleston, and Bridgetown into dynamic hubs of wealth creation and pleasure. This study shifts the focus from the Chesapeake region to highlight how these towns exhibited endogenous growth and autonomous development, serving as more than mere shipping points.

Burnard, T. (2017). Towns in Plantation Societies in Eighteenth-Century British America. Early American Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 15(4), 835–859. https://doi.org/10.1353/eam.2017.0030