Abstract

Agricultural output after the emancipation of the slaves resulted in mixed experiences across the globe. While the locus of the debate is usually centered on the ability of former slaveholders to secure a supply of labor after slaves became free, I argue that this narrative is incomplete since it reduces the role of slaves as laborers when, in fact, they also contribute to the productive process as capital. By using newly digitized individual-level historical databases covering more than 40 years in the district of Stellenbosch in the British Cape Colony, this study measures changes in output before and after the emancipation of slaves to determine the role of slaves as factors of production. Through compensation differentials generated by the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, this study shows that slaves yielded a source of capital that strongly influenced production levels and significantly explains output variation in the immediate aftermath of emancipation.