A Respectable Trade :: Slavery Essays

A Respectable Trade Many economic systems exist in the movie A Respectable Trade. Capitalism is present, as the Cole’s hire their cook and pay her for her time. Self – Employment also exists as one witnesses through the doctor. The economic system in which the plot revolves around is Slavery. Mr. Cole tries to earn a fortune in the business of slave trade. His wife, Francis, is ordered to teach them to assimilate into European culture by teaching them English, dressing them in new cloths and re-naming them. As the film progresses, so does Mr. Cole’s greed and arrogance increases. He begins to act superior and to dominate the household. Many slave owners including Mr. Cole began to engrain these feelings into their culture, to be carried through generations. In A Respectable Trade, the owner of the slaves is Josiah Cole. This is a new business investment for Josiah. He is not well known with the aristocrats in Bristol, England and does not have the poise and charm it takes to be accepted in to their circle. As a result, he invests in marrying Francis Scott. She was raised by â€Å"old money† and possesses the grace, status and wealth required to begin a successful business in slave trading. She is also a very educated woman and has the ability to teach the slaves English and how to behave as a European servant might have been expected to. Consequently, Josiah appears to have a prosperous business investment by marring Francis as she can lead him and their business of slave trade into Queen’s Square. â€Å"Generally the owner is responsible for providing minimal food, shelter, and clothing. Members of a family can be separated at the will of the owner†¦A slave is commonly regarded as an article of property, or chattel, and therefore can be sold or given away.† In A Respectable Trade the viewer sees the slaves eventually living in better conditions, eating healthier and with more comfortable clothing, nevertheless the clothing was very European and may have felt uncomfortable to them. Eventually, Francis feels compassion for the slaves, especially for Mehuru, and this is what drives her to make their lives more comfortable, if lives can be comfortable with out freedom. However, in the beginning of the business, they were treated poorly and often. It is important to remember that these better living conditions were not originally a result of Francis’s moral conscious Her motivations were more for economical reasons.