West Indian Success from Slavery Culture
False Assumption: Black West Indians outperform Afro-Americans on income, education, and occupational prestige due to cultural differences rooted in the provision ground system of British Caribbean slavery.
Written by FARAgent on February 09, 2026
In the late 20th century, economist Thomas Sowell popularized the idea that slavery in the British Caribbean uniquely equipped black West Indians with habits of thrift, hard work, and entrepreneurship, thanks to slaves being allotted provision grounds to grow and sell their own food. This market participation, Sowell claimed, instilled self-reliance that propelled West Indian migrants to outperform native-born black Americans in Britain and the US, attributing the edge to enduring cultural traits rather than other factors.
Critiques soon emerged, highlighting that slave market participation was widespread across the New World, including the US South where slaves raised livestock, grew cash crops, and hired themselves out, yet native-born blacks did not achieve similar post-emancipation success. Historians like Pieter Emmer argued provision grounds mainly subsidized planters by shifting subsistence costs to slaves, with no spur to innovation or scaling; post-emancipation, Afro-Caribbeans lagged behind indentured Indians in productivity, favoring collective over individual land patterns.
Today, evidence points to selection effects among early migrants—highly literate, skilled, and urban—as the real driver, with later cohorts converging toward native-born black outcomes; poverty rates for Caribbean immigrants hover at 16%, below overall immigrants but with median incomes trailing natives and other immigrants. While Sowell's cultural explanation finds mixed support after controls for education and immigration status, critics argue it overlooks genotypic factors and consistent work ethic complaints, fueling mounting questions about whether West Indian exceptionalism was ever more than a selection artifact.
Status: Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false
People Involved
- In the late 20th century, Thomas Sowell built his reputation as an economist by promoting the idea that black West Indians succeeded in America because of cultural traits forged in Caribbean slavery. He pointed to the provision ground system, where slaves grew their own food and sold surpluses, as the root of their self-reliance and entrepreneurship. Critics soon emerged.
- Pieter Emmer, a historian, challenged this view early on; he argued that provision grounds simply cut costs for planters and did little to build lasting business skills.
- Loren Schweninger added to the dissent by documenting how slaves in the US South also took part in markets, much like their Caribbean counterparts, yet without the claimed cultural edge.
- Eleanor Marie and Lawrence Brown highlighted selection effects among early West Indian migrants, crediting their literacy and skills over any slavery-born culture.
- More recently, Mosi Ifantunji tested the notion of an 'Afro-Caribbean culture of success' and found only mixed evidence once education and immigration status entered the equation. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (5)
“Thomas Sowell, the famous economist, has long argued that black West Indians outperform Afro-American blacks on income, education and occupational prestige because of cultural differences rooted in slavery.”— The myth of West Indian exceptionalism
“Historian Pieter Emmer has critiqued the notion that provision grounds fostered entrepreneurial instincts.”— The myth of West Indian exceptionalism
“Loren Schweninger has documented that slaves in the American South routinely raised livestock and even grew cash crops like cotton, which they sold in local and regional markets.”— The myth of West Indian exceptionalism
“Eleanor Marie and Lawrence Brown have demonstrated that early West Indian migrants were highly selected — relative to both native-born black Americans and other immigrant groups.”— The myth of West Indian exceptionalism
“Mosi Ifantunji explicitly tested the idea of an “Afro-Caribbean culture of success”, and found only “mixed” support for it.”— The myth of West Indian exceptionalism
The Foundation
The assumption took hold because the provision ground system in British Caribbean slavery appeared to encourage self-reliance. Slaves there managed plots for subsistence and sometimes sold extras in formal markets, which seemed to foster entrepreneurship. This view gained traction as a cultural explanation for West Indian achievements in income and education. Yet critics argue it was misleading; the system mainly shifted food costs onto slaves, limited output to bare needs, and offered no real property rights or paths to growth. Another pillar was the belief that market activity was unique to the Caribbean, supposedly creating a transmitted culture of success. Mounting evidence challenges this, showing US slaves engaged in similar trading without parallel outcomes. Sub-beliefs tied West Indian literacy and skills to slavery's legacy, but growing questions surround that claim; selection effects better explain the high literacy rates, over 80 percent among migrants from 1899 to 1932, outpacing many Europeans.
[1]▶ Supporting Quotes (3)
“Central to his argument is the claim that slavery in the British Caribbean encouraged habits of thrift, hard work and entrepreneurship through the provision ground system. Slaves, Sowell notes, were often allotted plots of land on which they could grow their own food.”— The myth of West Indian exceptionalism
“A major oversight in Sowell’s argument is his implicit claim that market activity under slavery was exclusive to the British Caribbean.”— The myth of West Indian exceptionalism
“From 1899 to 1932, West Indian literacy rates exceeded 80 percent, surpassing many European immigrant groups from the same time period.”— The myth of West Indian exceptionalism
How It Spread
Thomas Sowell's writings carried the idea far. As a prominent economist, he wove it into books and essays on black economic performance, stressing culture above other causes. His influence shaped debates in academia and beyond, framing West Indian success as a lesson in self-made progress. The notion spread through these channels, echoed in discussions that favored cultural narratives over alternatives like migration patterns or innate factors.
[1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“Thomas Sowell, the famous economist, has long argued that black West Indians outperform Afro-American blacks on income, education and occupational prestige because of cultural differences rooted in slavery.”— The myth of West Indian exceptionalism
Harm Caused
Critics argue the assumption has clouded clearer views of West Indian success. It overstated culture while downplaying selection effects and possible genotypic differences in IQ, leading to explanations that falter against new data. Later West Indian migrants, for instance, have converged with native black Americans and posted higher poverty rates at 16 percent, compared to 14 percent for immigrants overall. The idea also ignores mixed evidence on work ethic; Caribbean media report absenteeism and low productivity much like complaints in the US. Economic figures further undermine claims of exceptionalism, with Caribbean immigrants earning a median household income of $66,500, below the $82,400 for all immigrants and $81,400 for natives. Such oversights, dissenters say, perpetuate a myth that distorts policy and self-understanding in black communities.
[1]▶ Supporting Quotes (3)
“What’s more, the success of early West Indian migrants is mostly due to selection on education, skills and occupational readiness, rather than transmitted cultural traits — which is why later cohorts converged with native-born blacks as selection waned.”— The myth of West Indian exceptionalism
“Evidence that West Indians are harder-working or more reliable than native-born blacks is inconsistent. Anecdotes from Caribbean media, such as The Jamaica Gleaner, complain of absenteeism, low productivity and lack of discipline, mirroring concerns often voiced about black workers in the US.”— The myth of West Indian exceptionalism
“About 16% of Caribbean immigrants in the US live below the poverty line, compared with 14% of immigrants overall. Likewise, Caribbean immigrants have a median household income of $66,500, which is lower than the figures for both immigrant households ($82,400) and native-born households ($81,400).”— The myth of West Indian exceptionalism