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During the 18th century, Liverpool made about £300,000 a year from the slave trade. The slave trade made a great deal of money for the city's docks. The stimulus it gave to trading and industrial development throughout the north-west of England and the Midlands was of crucial importance.

In 1700 Liverpool was a fishing port with a population of 5,000 people. By 1800, 78,000 people lived and worked in Liverpool. Thousands found work because of the slave trade:

• Ships were needed which had to be built and equipped.
• Carpenters, rope makers, dock workers and sailors were all in demand.
• Others found work in banking and insurance.

Liverpool was prosperous and booming, and its success was the result of its involvement in the slave trade.