| The 25th March 2007 marked 200 years since | | | | enlightenment brought about a whole new range |
| the abolition of slavery act in the United Kingdom. | | | | of 'intellectual thinkers' that encouraged a |
| This act brought an end to over 250 years of a | | | | humanitarian outlook with reference to the slave |
| cruel and barbaric trafficking of up to 15 million | | | | trade. |
| African's during this time, who were taken from | | | | The most famous humanitarian who was |
| their native homelands that were then forced to | | | | significant in the abolition of the slave trade was |
| work on the plantations in the West Indies to | | | | William Wilberforce, a British politician and leader of |
| meet the ever increasing demand for cheap | | | | the anti slavery movement. William Wilberforce |
| labour. | | | | was a religious man who later converted to the |
| In this investigation we will attempt to firstly look | | | | newly founded evangelical Christian movement. In |
| at British involvement in the slave trade, looking at | | | | 1787 William Wilberforce met Thomas Clarkson |
| the fundamental motivations for it from both an | | | | and a group of anti slavery activists.William |
| economic and sociological viewpoint. Secondly we | | | | Wilberforce has been given credit for being the |
| will look at the factors for the abolition of the | | | | person to abolish slavery, but does he deserve |
| slave trade; in particular the efforts made by | | | | the credit alone? It can be argued that Thomas |
| individuals such as William Wilberforce, Granville | | | | Clarkson was perhaps more instrumental to the |
| Sharp and Thomas Clarkson and also consider the | | | | anti slavery movement. Thomas Clarkson was |
| efforts made by religious pressure groups such as | | | | the committee's travelling organiser. He covered |
| the Evangelical and Quaker groups. Finally we | | | | around 35,000 miles by horseback since 1787 |
| assess the impact of the slave trade and the | | | | travelling throughout England, Scotland and Wales |
| legacy that it has had upon the United Kingdom | | | | organising local committees. He provided as he |
| and Africa. | | | | referred to it as "whole coaches full of Seamen" |
| The story of slave trade and Britain's involvement | | | | that would be used to provide testimony before |
| goes back to as far as 1562, compared to the | | | | parliament as to the barbaric nature of slavery. |
| Portuguese and the Spanish the British were 'late | | | | Granville sharp, another humanitarian also played a |
| starters' in the slave trade but were certainly no | | | | part in bringing to the attention of slavery to the |
| less significant in the proliferation of slavery in the | | | | public, when in 1765 Jonathan Strong, a black man |
| 17th and 18th centuries. The English adventurer | | | | arrived at his house after been beaten up by his |
| and slave trader Sir John Hawkins, a Plymouth | | | | master, David Isle. Sharp took Jonathan Strong to |
| born merchant was arguably the first person to | | | | hospital where it took four months for him to |
| use the term "Human cargo" when he seized 300 | | | | recover. After his recovery, David Isle recaptured |
| Africans during his first slave trading venture. | | | | him. Granville Sharp subsequently mounted a legal |
| Other individuals preferred to use the term | | | | case claiming that as he was not in Barbados and |
| "commodities". It can be seen as early as 1562 | | | | indeed in England that he was no longer a slave |
| that the British along with European counter parts | | | | and indeed free. The court ruled in Strong's |
| viewed African's with very little regard and even | | | | favour, setting a legal precedent and creating |
| "non human". The British viewed African cultural | | | | massive amounts of publicity for the anti slavery |
| practises as non Christian even though it has been | | | | movement. |
| claimed that Christianity reached parts of Africa | | | | Quakers were the first religious group to openly |
| as early as the second century A.D. African's | | | | speak out against slavery. The Quakers were also |
| were branded by the British as 'two-legged | | | | the first to argue that Africans were made in the |
| beasts' or 'savages' that were not quite beasts | | | | image of God. In the 18th century there were |
| but were certainly not human either. It can be | | | | 20,000 Quakers living in the United Kingdom. The |
| argued that the Christian values held by the British | | | | first meeting took place in 1787 in London and |
| at this point were a fundamental motivation for | | | | contained 12 members of the very influential |
| the slave trade. To elaborate the black historian | | | | abolition committee including Thomas Clarkson. |
| and author Richard Reddie argues that many | | | | Subsequent meetings continued for years to |
| Christians associated the colour of the African's | | | | come and were funded by prominent Quaker |
| skin to be an indication of sin as black was the | | | | merchants and business men. The Quakers |
| associated with sin and the Devil and that the | | | | themselves were not particularly influential alone |
| word black has "always been a loaded term in the | | | | due to the religious prejudices that existed |
| English language connoting negativity". Therefore it | | | | towards dissenters. It took an alliance with |
| can be said that the British viewed the Africans | | | | Anglicans and Evangelicals to provide a more |
| as not worthy of being human or to be treated | | | | formidable opposition to slavery. |
| as such. Therefore any use of Africans for slave | | | | Economic factors were also influential in the |
| labour purposes could be justified based on miss | | | | abolition of slavery. Britain's economy was |
| interpreted biblical references. | | | | changing and becoming far more industrialised |
| European Intellectuals such as Johann Friedrich | | | | during the industrial revolution, industries such as |
| Blumenbach helped to reinforce the prejudices | | | | iron and coal were becoming more profitable for |
| regarding African's, making slavery more | | | | Britain. Britain simply didn't need the Caribbean |
| acceptable. His views were that African's were | | | | anymore to make money. |
| the lowest of all the races. Edward Long a British | | | | Political factors also helped bring about the abolition |
| colonial administrator published a book (History of | | | | of slavery. Slaves were beginning to up rise |
| Jamaica) concluding that Africans were ugly and | | | | against their slave masters on some parts of the |
| had more in common with apes than of white | | | | Caribbean such as Haiti. The slave revolution is |
| men. | | | | often described as the "St Domingue War of |
| Although Hawkins is probably the most prominent | | | | independence". The revolution in Haiti was |
| figure for introducing Britain to the slave trade it | | | | extremely significant as it provided clear evidence |
| can be traced back even further to 1553.This was | | | | that uprising could lead to real freedom and black |
| when Captain Thomas Windham who led an | | | | rule. This inspired similar revolts on other Islands |
| expedition of 140 people to the Guinea Coast to | | | | as the news of the revolution spread quickly. In |
| look for Gold. 100 of his crew died from the 'Bite | | | | Jamaica alone, there were two Maroon wars and |
| of Benin' whilst on the expedition. This led to a | | | | six major uprisings. In 1730, the Maroons led by |
| subsequent expedition by John Lok to the Guinea | | | | Cudjoe fought a nine year war with the British |
| coast the following year who obtained substantial | | | | costing the British dearly in casualties. |
| amounts of Gold, Ivory and dozens of Africans | | | | The impact that slavery has had upon Britain has |
| that he captured. He brought back the African | | | | been varied. These can be best described in |
| slaves to parade them in front of Elizabethan | | | | terms of social and economic impacts. The |
| crowds. Elizabeth the first was initially against this | | | | economic impact was to help Britain become |
| and demanded the release of the slaves, although | | | | wealthy by developing the economy further with |
| she was by no means against slavery. | | | | the trading of goods such as cotton and sugar. |
| The Africans captured by Sir John Hawkins were | | | | This also had an effect on the culture of Britain, |
| exchanged on the north coast of Hispaniola and | | | | for example the British became far more of a |
| he returned to England with a ship load of animal | | | | consumer society particularly for wealthier people |
| hides and sugar. Demand for slaves was at | | | | who purchased sweets, sugar and tobacco in |
| premium hence Sir John Hawkins was able to | | | | particular which started to be smoked more in |
| secure a good trade with the Spanish. Queen | | | | pipes. Other economic impacts were the |
| Elizabeth the first saw the potential of slavery and | | | | formation of certain banks that were created |
| how lucrative it could be from the subsequent | | | | such as Barclays that has links to slavery. Slave |
| goods that he brought back. She gave Hawkins a | | | | traders Benjamin and Arthur Heywood founded |
| vessel to continue his trading activities that was | | | | Heywoods bank in 1773 based on profits from |
| also armed and capable of destroying any | | | | the slave trade. Plantations were set up with loans |
| seafaring opposition. It can be seen therefore that | | | | provided by banks such as Heywoods. Heywoods |
| the main motivation for British involvement in the | | | | Bank was acquired by Martins Bank in 1883 which |
| slave trade was purely financial. This coupled with | | | | itself was acquired by Barclays in 1968. |
| the pre conceived idea that the Africans were "an | | | | Social impacts of slavery are arguably more |
| inferior thick lipp'd slave race" made the slave | | | | significant and damaging compared to the |
| trade justifiable to in the eyes of the elite ruling | | | | economic impacts. These have been mainly the |
| classes. | | | | creation of racism towards the African population |
| It was not until the 17th century during the reign | | | | that lived not only in the United Kingdom but in |
| of Charles the second that the British became | | | | America, France, Spain, and Portugal to name but |
| fully involved with slavery. Prior to this Britain did | | | | a few. Misconceived notions about the African |
| not have any colonies of its own in the Americas. | | | | population being "beasts and savages" and "inferior |
| It could be argued that the profitability of slavery | | | | to white men" that originated during the 17th and |
| achieved by European rivals such as the Spanish | | | | 18th centuries carried on up until the civil rights |
| and Portuguese motivated Britain to gained | | | | demonstrations in the 1960s in the USA led by |
| ownership of the Islands in the West Indies during | | | | Martin Luther King who pressed for equal rights |
| the expansion of the British Empire. Africans | | | | for black people. In the United Kingdom similar |
| provided cheap labour on the plantations to | | | | attitudes persisted after slavery was totally |
| harvest sugar and cotton to fuel the expanding | | | | extinct in the UK in 1838. This led to race riots in |
| British economy. It was soon realised that the | | | | the UK in areas such as Birmingham and |
| bigger the plantation the more sugar they could | | | | Manchester in the 1960s and 70s following new |
| produce resulting in more profit, thus requiring | | | | waves of immigration from the West Indies. |
| more Africans. | | | | People like Enoch Powell helped to spread fear and |
| There are principally three main reasons for the | | | | distrust about African immigration during his |
| abolition of slavery. The first is Humanitarian, the | | | | famous "rivers of blood speech" in 1968. |
| second is political and the third economic. The | | | | Other social impacts were that Africa was robbed |
| enlightenment is a time used to describe a point in | | | | of an estimated 15 million of their population over |
| western philosophy and cultural life, centred upon | | | | the 300 years of the slave trade, where Britain |
| the eighteenth century.During this period saw | | | | played a significant part. Trading of weapons to |
| great change with rebellion taking place in America | | | | African Kings in exchange for African slaves by |
| which led to the war of Independence. Old ideas | | | | western Europeans in the 17th and 18th centuries |
| were challenged and questioned in particular to | | | | was a significant factor in provoking war between |
| religion, logic and reason (without turning to | | | | neighbouring African countries resulting in the |
| religious belief) was advocated as the primary | | | | deaths of thousands of Africans. |
| source of legitimacy and authority. The | | | | |