The Abolition of the Atlantic Slave Trade

What were the origins of the Abolitionist movement?

• To abolish means to put an end to something officially. The Abolitionist movement refers to those people trying to end the slave trade through political and other means.

• In Britain the origins of the movement began with the It began in the last quarter of the 18th century.

• In the Somersett Case of 1772 a fugitive enslaved person was freed when the court ruled that slavery did not exist under English common law. This case is regarded by historians as the start of the British movement to abolish slavery.

• In 1787 the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade was formed in London and William Wilberforce led the cause of abolition through a parliamentary campaign.

• In 1783, an anti-slavery movement began among the British public to end slavery throughout the British Empire.

What happened in 1787?

In 1787 the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade was formed in London and William Wilberforce led the cause of abolition through a parliamentary campaign,

What happened in 1783?

In 1783, an anti-slavery movement began among the British public to end slavery throughout the British Empire.

What was the Somersett case?

• In the Somersett Case of 1772 a fugitive enslaved person was freed when the court ruled that slavery did not exist under English common law. This case is regarded by historians as the start of the British movement to abolish slavery.

Who were the Quakers?

• English and American Quakers (Christian religious groups) also began to question the morality of slavery in the latter part of the 18th century.

• They banned all of their members from being involved in 1761

What was the Zong Massacre?

• The Zong Massacre was an important case which caused people to begin to question the Atlantic Slave Trade in 1781

What happened during the Zong Massacre?

• The Zong was an overloaded slave ship which crossed the Atlantic in 1781 carrying 442 enslaved people.

• For some reason, the ship sailed off course and it was clear that the ship would be late reaching Jamaica.

• Drinking water was in short supply and sickness had spread among those enslaved and the crew.

• Approximately 132 African captives were thrown overboard and drowned because if they had died on board, the crew could not claim insurance money on the lost cargo.

• The crew was tried in court in 1783, but the case was heard as an insurance dispute rather than a murder trial.

• The case came to symbolise the horrors of the Middle Passage as it was heavily publicised in the newspapers and strengthened the abolition campaign.

How many African Captives died on the Zong Massacre?

• Approximately 132 African captives were thrown overboard and drowned because if they had died on board, the crew could not claim insurance money on the lost cargo.Approximately 132 African captives were thrown overboard and drowned because if they had died on board, the crew could not claim insurance money on the lost cargo.

What were the main arguments for Abolitionists? (Humanitarian)

• It was wrong for one human being to own and control another.

• Slavery was seen as cruel and inhumane.

• The slave trade brutalised all who took part in it.

• It was morally wrong to split up families.

• Enslaved people were given new names which robbed them of their identity.

What were the main arguments for Abolitionists? (Economic)

• In the 1776 book The Wealth of Nations, the economist Adam Smith argued for the abolition of slavery on economic grounds. Smith pointed out that slavery required security, housing and food costs that the use of free labour did not. Smith concluded that free workers would be more productive because they would have personal economic incentives to work harder. In other words, slavery was more expensive because those enslaved worked less well than paid workers.

• Many argued that the slave trade cost jobs that British people could be paid for doing. The Industrial Revolution was taking place and new British factories had many vacancies for unemployed people.

• British trade, with its colonies in India and the Far East, was growing rapidly and some argued that Britain should trade with other parts of the world where goods were cheaper. For example, sugar was being produced by free labour in the British colony of India so Britain didn’t need to buy it from the West Indies.

What were the main arguments for Abolitionists? (Religious)

• In the Christian faith slavery was against God’s will.

• The Bible taught that people should treat each other with kindness and love.

• The 10 Commandments forbid killing and theft – which is the nature of slavery.

• The Quakers were a religious group that were strongly against Atlantic Slavery.

Who was William Wilberforce?

• In 1780, William Wilberforce was elected to parliament and made many speeches opposing the slave trade which brought great publicity to the cause of the abolition.

• Wilberforce used evidence gathered by abolitionists to try to persuade Parliament to abolish the African slave trade.

• He campaigned for 18 years by trying to get MPs to accept a Bill against the slave trade in 1789. It was not successful and he persisted each year until 1792, when a Bill was passed by the House of Commons that said there would be a gradual end to the slave trade.

• In 1807, after a huge campaign, Parliament abolished the slave trade.

Who was Thomas Clarkson?

• Thomas Clarkson collected information about the terrible conditions on slave ships and displayed the equipment used on the slave ships, such as thumbscrews and branding irons. This shocked the British people and made people realise the impact of the slave trade on human lives.

Who was Josiah Wedgewood?

• Wedgewood was a Quaker and a wealthy pottery owner who supported the abolitionist movement.

• His company designed a seal for stamping wax used to close envelopes. It showed an African man, kneeling on the ground with chains on his arms with the words, ‘Am I not a man and a brother?’

• This became an emblem for the abolitionist movement. Many women wore it as a brooch to show their support.

Who was John Newton?

• John Newton had been a slave ship captain who campaigned against the slave trade. His pamphlet, ‘Thoughts upon the African Slave Trade’ provided eyewitness evidence against the slave trade which shocked many people.

• He also wrote the anti-slavery song, Amazing Grace.

Who were the Sons of Africa?

• The Sons of Africa were a small group of Africans who managed to escape slavery in the 1780s. It included figures such as Olaudah Equiano and Ottabah Cugoano.

• They wrote about their experiences and Equiano published a book called, ‘The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano’. They both toured Britain to raise awareness about the brutality of slavery

What involvement did the Christian’s have on the Abolition of the Atlantic Skave Trade?

• Quakers were a Christian group that condemned slavery in the late 1700s. They argued that slavery was against Christian teaching. They produced many pamphlets and books against that slave trade.

• Evangelicals believed that it was important to follow the teachings of Christ and that we should treat our neighbour as we wish to be treated. Evangelicals denounced slavery as the greatest sin against God's will and played a major role in turning public opinion against slavery.

• Many abolitionists such as Wilberforce, Clarkson and Newton were Evangelicals.

What were methods used by Abolitionists to campaign for the ending of the Slave Trade?

Lobbying (trying to persuade an elected representative) - Abolitionists such as Olaudah Equiano lobbied MPs to persuade them to improve the conditions on the slave ships by limiting the number of enslaved people they were allowed to carry.

Speeches - As an MP, William Wilberforce spoke regularly in Parliament to raise the profile of the abolitionist campaign. Prominent Christians also spoke out in public against slavery.

Sugar Boycott - Many women supported the abolitionist campaign by boycotting sugar. The aim was to cut the demand for slave-produced sugar and decrease the profits made by slave traders and plantation owners. By 1792, around 400,000 people were boycotting sugar and sugar sales were said to have dropped by one third.

What happened during the Haiti Revolution?

• A revolt by enslaved people on the French colony of Saint Domingue alarmed the British government who became concerned that steps towards abolition would encourage more rebellions.

• Led by Toussant L’ouverture the enslaved people who were freed set up an independent nation called Haiti.

• It was the only successful slave revolt that managed to form a new nation.

• By 19th Century, many plantation owners became afraid that those they had enslaved would take similar inspiration and revolt.

• With increased likelihood of revolt by enslaved people, the case for abolition became stronger.

What were the arguments against the abolishment of the Slave Trade?

• Plantation owners were worried that they would lose their livelihood and income. They argued that the British people needed and wanted coffee and sugar and without the slave trade they would go out of business.

• British textile mill owners worried that they would not be able to produce good quality textiles without a supply of cotton from the West Indies.

• MPs argued in the Houses of Parliament that if all of the enslaved people in the West Indies were freed it would result in riots, disorder, killings and anarchy.

• Industrial workers were worried that they would be put out of work without the supply of raw materials from slave plantations.

• Sailors feared that they would be out of work if the slave trade stopped.

• London bankers argued money they made from the slave trade was invested in other businesses. Without this income, the British economy would decline.

• City Mayors argued that the slave trade had had a positive impact and brought many industrial jobs such as sugar-refining and glass-marking.

• After the revolt of enslaved people in Haiti, many feared that abolishing slavery would lead to revolts across the West Indies.

What were the reasons for the successful abolition of the slave trade?

Public opinion - A revival of interest in religion during the late 18th century made people think about the moral wrongs of the slave trade. People had begun to think of Africans as fellow human beings, which led them to regard the slave trade as inhumane and unacceptable.

Economic Circumstances - There is some evidence that the slave trade was becoming less profitable. Sugar boycotts and other forms of protest caused financial harm to businesses.

Parliamentary debate - The work William Wilberforce and other lobbyists helped to keep the case for abolition a point of discussion in Parliament for years.

Revolts – some revolts of enslaved people in the West Indies were successful and increased pressure for abolition. Plantation owners began to realise that paying enslaved people to work was less risky than continuing enslavement policies and facing rebellions which could result in them going out of business.

Legislation - The slave trade was abolished by the British government in 1807. In 1834, slavery was made illegal throughout the British Empire.