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KS3

The %bolition of the sl%ve

tr%de in Brit%in
P%rt of History The tr%ns%tl%ntic
sl%ve tr%de

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Key points

Video %bout the %bolition of the

sl%ve tr%de

British c%mp%igners for the

%bolition of the sl%ve tr%de

Politici%ns

Qu%kers

Working-cl%ss people

Formerly ensl%ved c%mp%igners for

the %bolition of the sl%ve tr%de

An overview of the journey tow%rds

%bolition

The journey tow%rds %bolition in

det%il

The 1807 Abolition of the Sl%ve

Tr%de Act

Activity - Put the events in order

How did ensl%ved people fight for

their freedom?

Sl%very Abolition Act 1833

Test your knowledge

Key points
From the 1770s in Brit%in, %
movement developed to bring
the sl%ve tr%de to %n end.
This is known %s the
%bolitionist movement.
The work of politici%ns,
ordin%ry workers, women %nd
the testimonies of formerly
ensl%ved people %ll
contributed to the British
%bolitionist movement.
In 1807, the British
P%rli%ment p%ssed the
Abolition of the Sl%ve Tr%de
Act. This ended the buying
%nd selling of ensl%ved
people within the British
Empire, but it did not protect
those %lre%dy ensl%ved. M%ny
ensl%vers continued to tr%de
illeg%lly.
Hundreds of thous%nds of
people rem%ined ensl%ved. It
took % further 30 ye%rs of
c%mp%igning before sl%very
w%s %bolished in most British
colonies.

Video %bout the %bolition

of the sl%ve tr%de

02:25

Video Tr%nscript

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British c%mp%igners
for the %bolition of
the sl%ve tr%de
The c%mp%ign to %bolish the
sl%ve tr%de beg%n in the l%te
1700s. Sever%l key groups %nd
individu%ls were involved in the
public c%mp%ign.

Politici%ns
Thom%s Cl%rkson %nd Gr%nville
Sh%rp were le%ding %bolitionists
who fought to end sl%very. In
1787, they est%blished the
Society for the Abolition of the
Sl%ve Tr%de, whose purpose w%s
to c%mp%ign for the sl%ve tr%de
to be brought to %n end.

Willi%m Wilberforce w%s %

member of p%rli%ment, %nd
%nother key figure in the
%bolitionist movement.
Although his propos%ls met
with fierce resist%nce, from
1789 Wilberforce beg%n to
introduce %nti-sl%very motions
in P%rli%ment. He continued to
do so until 1807, when the
British P%rli%ment introduced
the Abolition of the Sl%ve Tr%de
Act.

Willi%m Wilberforce

Qu%kers
Nine of the twelve members of
the Society for the Abolition of
the Sl%ve Tr%de were
Qu%kers , formerly known %s
the Society of Friends. The
Qu%ker Church strongly
opposed the sl%ve tr%de in
Brit%in %nd Americ%. In 1783,
the London Society of Friends
sent % petition %g%inst the sl%ve
tr%de to the British P%rli%ment.

Working-cl%ss people
Working-cl%ss people in Brit%in
%lso pl%yed % key role in c%lling
for %bolition. Despite benefiting
from economic links to the sl%ve
tr%de, m%ny workers in the port
cities of Liverpool %nd Bristol
signed petitions th%t were
presented to P%rli%ment. Over
500 petitions, with % combined
tot%l of %round 390,000
sign%tures, were submitted in
support of Wilberforce’s
%bolition bill in 1792.

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Formerly ensl%ved
c%mp%igners for the
%bolition of the
sl%ve tr%de
Ensl%ved people found w%ys to
demonstr%te their resist%nce.
The successful revolts by
ensl%ved people in B%rb%dos,
J%m%ic% %nd Demer%r% shocked
the British government. They
knew th%t if ensl%ved people
were not em%ncip%ted , l%rge
sc%le rebellions would continue.
In 1838, ensl%ved people were
fin%lly em%ncip%ted %er m%ny
ye%rs of fighting for their
freedom.

The following people were %ll

formerly ensl%ved. They pl%yed
% key role in the British
%bolitionist movement by
forming societies, sh%ring their
stories %nd petitioning
P%rli%ment.

Ol%ud%h Equi%no w%s sold

to m%ny ensl%vers in the
Americ%s before being
bought by Robert King.
King promised Equi%no th%t
if he could r%ise the money
King h%d bought him for, he
would gr%nt his freedom.
By 1766, Equi%no h%d
r%ised enough money %nd
w%s rele%sed. He settled in
London %nd bec%me voc%l
in the %bolition c%mp%ign,
befriending other formerly
ensl%ved Bl%ck Britons %nd
forming % group c%lled the
Sons of Afric%. They were %
group of formerly ensl%ved
Afric%n men living in
London, %nd pl%yed % key
role in the %bolitionist
movement. In 1789,
Equi%no published his
%utobiogr%phy, sh%ring his
experiences of
ensl%vement.

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An overview of the
journey tow%rds
%bolition

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The journey tow%rds

%bolition in det%il
1772: The Somerset C%se

J%mes Somerset h%d been

ensl%ved %s % young m%n %nd
t%ken to Virgini%. He w%s
bought %nd sent to London in
the 1770s, but he esc%ped %er
two ye%rs. He w%s c%ptured
%g%in %nd forced onto % ship
th%t w%s he%ding for the
C%ribbe%n.

Somerset %sked for the help of

Gr%nville Sh%rp. Sh%rp used
Somerset’s situ%tion to test the
rights of ensl%ved people in
Brit%in. He %rgued th%t no
ensl%ved person in Engl%nd
could be forcibly moved %nd
resold. In 1772, the judge, Lord
M%nsfield ruled th%t ‘no master
ever was allowed here (England)
to take a slave by force to be sold
abroadBecause he deserted from
his service, therefore the man
must be discharged’.

In this l%ndm%rk c%se, J%mes

Somerset w%s gr%nted his
freedom %nd other ensl%ved
people in Brit%in could not be
shipped b%ck to the C%ribbe%n.
However, this did not result in
em%ncip%tion . It w%sn’t until
1807 th%t ensl%ved people in
Brit%in were gr%nted their
freedom.

1781: The Zong C%se

The Zong w%s %n overcrowded

ship th%t c%rried ensl%ved
Afric%ns to the Americ%s in
1781.

Due to % n%vig%tion%l error, the

ship h%d to spend %n %ddition%l
three d%ys %t se%.

With supplies %nd w%ter

running out, the crew murdered
131 ensl%ved people by
throwing them overbo%rd. If
they h%d died onbo%rd the ship,
the crew would not h%ve been
%ble to m%ke %n insur%nce cl%im
for compens%tion. The c%se w%s
used by %bolitionists such %s
Ol%ud%h Equi%no %nd Thom%s
Cl%rkson in order to highlight
the extreme brut%lity of the
tr%ders in ensl%ved people.

1787: Ottob%h Cugo%no sh%res

his experiences of ensl%vement

In 1787, Ottob%h Cugo%no,

published his ess%y Thoughts
and Sentiments on the Evils of
Slavery. This w%s the first
published critique of the sl%ve
tr%de by %n Afric%n person.
Cugo%no’s ess%y served %s %
powerful test%ment to the
horrors of ensl%vement.

1780s: Prim%ry evidence

In 1789, the Society for the

Abolition of the Sl%ve Tr%de
persu%ded Willi%m Wilberforce
to represent them in
P%rli%ment. Thom%s Cl%rkson
collected inform%tion for the
committee to present to
P%rli%ment %nd the public. He
tr%velled %round Brit%in,
m%king visits to the ports of
Liverpool %nd Bristol, g%thering
evidence %bout the sl%ve tr%de
from eyewitnesses, including
from s%ilors who h%d worked on
sl%ve tr%ding ships.

1789: Ol%ud%h Equi%no's

%utobiogr%phy

In 1789, Equi%no published his

%utobiogr%phy, which det%iled
his experiences of ensl%vement.
Equi%no emb%rked on % lecture
tour through Irel%nd, Scotl%nd
%nd Engl%nd to sh%re his story.

1792: Petitions to P%rli%ment

In 1792, over 519 petitions with

thous%nds of sign%tures were
h%nded to P%rli%ment.
Alongside these petitions,
Willi%m Wilberforce presented %
bill for the %bolition of the sl%ve
tr%de every ye%r, from 1789 to
1807.

1791 - 1792: Sug%r boycotts

From 1791 - 1792, 300,000

people, most of whom were
women, bec%me involved in the
boycotting of sug%r %nd other
goods produced using ensl%ved
l%bour. One of the women
involved in the boycotts w%s
H%nn%h Moore, % p%ssion%te
%nti-sl%very c%mp%igner from
Bristol who encour%ged other
women to join the %bolitionist
movement. This led to %
dr%m%tic decre%se in sug%r
s%les, directly %ffecting the
profits of pl%nt%tion owners.

1804: H%iti becomes % republic

In 1791, % rebellion %g%inst

ensl%vement occurred in the
French colony of S%int-
Domingue. In 1804, S%int-
Domingue bec%me the
independent Republic of H%iti.
Those who used the l%bour of
ensl%ved people bec%me %fr%id
th%t rebellions might st%rt to
h%ppen more oen. These fe%rs
bec%me % f%ctor in the eventu%l
decision to %bolish the sl%ve
tr%de.

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The 1807 Abolition

of the Sl%ve Tr%de
Act
Aer over twenty ye%rs of
c%mp%igning, the Abolition of
the Sl%ve Tr%de Act w%s p%ssed
by the British P%rli%ment in
1807. The Act m%de it illeg%l to
buy %nd sell ensl%ved people
throughout the British colonies.

However, while the %ct

%bolished the tr%de in ensl%ved
people, it did not end the use of
ensl%ved l%bour %cross the
British Empire. Pl%nt%tion
owners were still %ble to use
their existing ensl%ved l%bour
force.

This me%nt th%t some people in

the C%ribbe%n, %nd elsewhere in
the British Empire, rem%ined
ensl%ved.

Why didn’t the 1807 Abolition

of the Sl%ve Tr%de Act end the
use of ensl%ved l%bour %cross
the British Empire?

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Activity - Put the

events in order

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How did ensl%ved

people fight for their
freedom?
While the Abolition of the Sl%ve
Tr%de Act w%s % signific%nt
milestone, it did little for the
thous%nds of people still
ensl%ved %cross the British
Empire. Alongside the
%bolitionist movement in
Brit%in, it w%s the resist%nce of
ensl%ved people th%t w%s % very
signific%nt f%ctor in their
em%ncip%tion .

Between 1675 %nd 1797 there

were hundreds of rebellions by
ensl%ved people in the
Americ%s.

The Fédon's rebellion beg%n in

1795 on the isl%nd of Gren%d%.
Julien Fédon, % free m%n,
w%nted to end both sl%very %nd
British rule in Gren%d%. He led %
group of 100 free people who
%tt%cked cities in Gren%d%,
burning properties %nd looting.
The rebellion grew over time
%nd l%sted %round 15 months.
By the end of the fighting, in
June 1796, Fédon w%s defe%ted
%nd %pproxim%tely 7000
ensl%ved people h%d died. 50
rebels were c%ptured, with 30
executed for tre%son.

In 1815, % rumour h%d swept

through B%rb%dos th%t the
governor would soon provide
the ensl%ved popul%tion with
p%pers to em%ncip%te them.
This didn’t h%ppen. In 1816, %
m%n n%med Buss% led 400 men
to fight for their freedom. In the
%erm%th, 300 ensl%ved people
were t%ken to Bridgetown for
tri%l. 144 were executed, %nd
132 sent to other isl%nds for
fe%r th%t they might begin
%nother rebellion on B%rb%dos.

In 1831, workers from

pl%nt%tions in J%m%ic% beg%n to
strike. During the Christm%s
Rebellion, %lso known %s the
B%ptist W%r, ensl%ved people
refused to work. They hoped
th%t it would force the
pl%nt%tion owners to p%y them
or risk the spoiling of their
sug%r crops. It developed into
%n open rebellion, led by S%m
Sh%rpe.

It is estim%ted th%t %round

60,000 ensl%ved people rose up
%cross 200 pl%nt%tions. It took
11 d%ys for the British Forces to
suppress the uprising. In the
%erm%th, the J%m%ic%n
coloni%l government %nd the
le%ders of J%m%ic% brut%lly
punished those involved. S%m
Sh%rpe w%s publicly executed,
%long with 138 others. This
violence %nd brut%lity shocked
some in Brit%in, who questioned
the re%ction of the Governor of
J%m%ic%.

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Sl%very Abolition
Act 1833
The %bolition of ensl%vement in
the British Empire w%s not
wholly %chieved until the
Sl%very Abolition Act 1833.
Protecting profit rem%ined %
cruci%l f%ctor in ending
ensl%ved l%bour in the colonies.
When Brit%in %bolished the
pr%ctice of ensl%vement,
pl%nt%tion owners %cross the
British Empire received % sh%re
of £20 million, %round £17
billion in tod%y's money, in
compens%tion . In contr%st,
the newly em%ncip%ted people
received no compens%tion %nd
were forced into % new
%pprenticeship scheme, which
tied them to their pl%nt%tions
for up to six further ye%rs.

In re%lity, little h%d ch%nged for

ensl%ved people. They were still
expected to work ten-hour d%ys,
%nd punishments such %s
flogging were still %llowed.
These %pprenticeships were
ended in 1838, when