In a rich and multi-layered narrative Gallay makes the case that the Indian slave trade was integrally connected to the geopolitical forces which were converging to form an international market economy during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. The British, French and Spanish all sought to secure their positions in the southern regions of the North American continent, while Native Americans showed an often remarkable agility in adapting to or resisting the European presence.
In a society that was land-rich but chronically short of labor, the capture and export of slaves provided a vehicle for capital formation. (p. 294) While the importation of African slaves has been much more widely discussed, Carolinians also developed an “unquenchable thirst” for Indian slaves. (p. 266) Gallay argues that, “the trade in Indian slaves was at the center of the English empire’s development in the American South … [and] the most important factor affecting the South in the period from 1670 to 1715.” The economics of Indian slavery were compelling: “it was as if one could create capital out of thin air.” (p. 308) Gallay depicts the venal and unending in-fighting among Carolina elites and Indian traders who sought to advance their interests while the colony’s proprietors made repeated but ineffectual attempts to regulate the Indian trade and impose the rule of law. Gallay's account of the connection between political and religious divisions in metropolitan England and the twists and turns of South Carolina politics and Indian relations is particularly fascinating. The material on Thomas Nairne and John Stewart provides much insight into the perspectives and divisions of Carolina elites.
Although the book is very well researched, evidence concerning the actual details of the slave trade remains illusive, especially since participants in the trade were eager to avoid official notice. Consequently, records such as shipping manifests and tax duplicates are exceedingly rare. Nonetheless Gallay’s work with available sources has led him to estimate a “likely” range of between 30 and 50 thousand Native Americans captured and enslaved in the years prior to 1715. (p. 299) There is, however, no ambiguity concerning Gallay’s view of the force which animated Carolina elites during the period: “from first settlement the quest for profits directed politics, diplomacy, and warfare.” (p. 18) ( )

The title of this book is slightly misleading in that it might be better phrased "The Indian Slave Wars," due to its concentration on geopolitics rather than the actual business that provoked the violence. Still, this is an interesting look at the early history of the European struggle for empire in North America, with particular emphasis on what it meant for the colony of South Carolina and the Indian tribes they interacted with. ( )