Summary
A new book, Ricardo’s Dream by Nat Dyer, reveals that Sir Isaac Newton’s wealth was closely tied to the transatlantic slave trade during his tenure as master of the mint at the Bank of England.
Newton profited from gold mined by enslaved Africans in Brazil, much of which was converted into British currency under his oversight, earning him a fee for each coin minted.
While Newton’s scientific legacy remains untarnished, the book highlights his financial entanglement with slavery, a common thread among Britain’s banking and finance elites of the era.
He created new trade routes between continents and got thrown to jail because of his claim of the new continent. You know, politics.
But sure, slavery is not ruthless.
Fucking morons and their double standards.
Those don’t sound like huge accomplishments. So why should we care?
Also, you aren’t specifying what was being traded and I think we both know why.