1

The Atlantic Slave Trade

1770-1807

Sourcebook 5-

The Abolition of the Slave Trade

Lesson 1 – The pro-Slavery Campaign

Wilberforce had introduced his first Bill to abolish the slave trade in 1789, yet it took a full 18 years of hard campaigning to end the evil, even with the support for most of that time of William Pitt the Prime Minister. The Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade had campaigned outside Parliament for six years before that, while Granville Sharp had brought his first law case as early as 1765. Why indeed had it taken so long?

Source 1 - the economist Malachi Postlethwaite

If we have no Negroes, we can have no sugar, tobacco, rum etc. As a result, taxes which we get from importing goods from the Caribbean will be wiped out. And hundreds of thousands of Britons making goods for the triangular trade will lose their jobs and go a begging.

Source 2 – An assembly of Jamaican planters.

The plan to abolish the slave trade is based on false information. It is based on prejudice, and on a few examples of bad treatment of slaves. We planters have worked hard and taken risks, and our success has poured wealth into Britain. It is unfair that we have our property, the slaves, taken away from us.

Source 3- A description of the middle passage given as evidence to the Parliamentary Inquiry into the Slave Trade of 1788 by James Penny, a Liverpool slave trader and plantation owner

Figure 1 - An image of supposed plantation life

If the weather is hot, and there appears the least amount of sweat upon their skins, when they come upon deck, there are two men attending with cloths to rub them perfectly dry, and another to give them a little drink … they are then supplied with pipes and tobacco … They are amused with instruments of music from their own country … and when tired of music and dancing, they then go to games of dice.

Source 4- petition sent by the mayor, merchants and people of Bristol to Parliament in 1775.

The abolition of the slave trade will destroy the welfare, prosperity and possibly the existence of the Caribbean, while Bristol itself, one of the most prosperous towns of England, will lose three-fifths of its trade. In Bristol itself the trades of salted herrings for consumption in the Caribbean, shipbuilding, ship repairing, ropemaking, sailmaking and iron forging will be destroyed.

Lesson 2 – Influences from Abroad

Source 5

When the French Revolution broke out in 1789 it was at first generally welcomed in Britain. However four years later the French executed their king, Louis XVI. Wealthy and powerful people in Britain were shocked by these events. Soon after, Britain was at war with France, and the revolution was now seen as too extreme and the mood in Britain changed. The Establishment in Britain became worried about British radicals and suggested that they had links with the French. In this climate it became difficult for the Abolitionists, as the anti-abolitionists soon linked them to French radical politics and made them appear unpatriotic.

* Radical = seeking a major change in the way a country is run.

Source 6 –a speech made by the Earl of Abingdon

This call for the abolition of the slave trade is founded upon French principles, insubordination, anarchy, confusion, havoc, murder, devastation and ruin’

Figure 2- the execution of Louis XVI

Source 7 –

The motto of the revolutionaries was;

‘Liberté,égalité,fraternité’ which is French for ‘freedom, equality and brotherhood’.

Source 8 –

During the French Revolution, the National Assembly made many changes.  

· Torture and arbitrary imprisonment were abolished.

· Property owned by the church was seized.

· The highest ranks of the military were now open to people of every class.

· The people elected judges for short periods of time. Now, the common people of France controlled justice.

Source 9 –

A number of laws were passed which limited civil rights. Approval for any political meeting was required if more than 50 people were in attendance. People could be arrested if they spoke or wrote in any way which could stir up hatred of the political system. The result was a halt to the popular support for the Abolition Societies, which had made such an impact in the 1780s.

Source 10 – An account of the slave revolt on Haiti.

Haiti was France’s most important sugar producing island in the Caribbean. It produced 30% of the world’s sugar and 50% of its coffee. It had 8,000 planters and ½ a million slaves on the island and accounted for 1/3rd of all France’s foreign trade. Because of the French Revolution the whole idea of keeping slaves was questioned in Haiti. Planter rule collapsed in 1791, producing massive upheaval, the destruction of the entire social system and bloodshed on an epic scale. The creation of an independent black country sent shock waves across the world.

White refugees from the island came with terrifying tales of what happened. This of course played right into the hands of the defenders of the slave trade. Here was living proof of all their warnings. If you tamper with the slave system catastrophe would follow.

Here is an extract from a letter to the Gentleman’s Magazine:

‘If all the shocking crimes committed on Haiti be true, it is to be hoped for heaven’s sake, we shall never hear no more of abolishing the slave trade. The Negro race are but a set of wild beasts let loose.’

There were clearly atrocities committed by both sides. The slaves had attacked the plantations setting fire to fields, mills, boiling houses and warehouses. They murdered and raped large numbers of whites. Just one example of this was a white plantation owner who was nailed alive to the gate of his plantation, then had his arms and legs hacked off. Any slaves who were caught by the whites were equally badly treated. One planter would place an orange on his slave’s head and allow guests a chance to shoot it just for entertainment!

Figure 3 Toussaint Louverture, leader of the slave revolt in Haiti.

Source 11 - Impact on the Prime Minister William Pitt.

Pitt had been a supporter of abolition, and had encouraged Wilberforce to lead the cause in parliament. But the war with France changed the views of the Prime Minister. During time of war he did not want to upset the cabinet that was mostly against abolition. In addition the revolt in Haiti made Pitt begin to believe that to abolish the slave trade would only invite further disasters. Therefore Pitt withdrew his valuable support for the campaign.

Lesson 3 – Why was slavery finally abolished?

Source 12

There are many reasons why the slave Trade was finally abolished.

In 1807 Wilberforce had the support of the new PM, Lord Grenville. He introduced a Bill which passed in both the Commons and the House of Lords. The final vote was 283 in favour and only 16 against.

The 1807 Act was called the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade

· Outlawed British ships from taking part in the slave trade.

· Anyone trafficking in slaves had to pay a fine of £100 per slave.

· Any ship involved in carrying slaves would be confiscated.

· Any ship-owner, part-owner, agent, captain, mate or ship’s surgeon taking part in slave trading will be fined.

· Insurance of a slave ship is prohibited.

· Enemy ships captured with slaves on board will become the property of the Crown.

Source 13

Historians have argued about several aspects of abolition of the slave trade. They have argued about why it took so long, and also about why the campaign was eventually successful.

The views of several historians as to the reasons for the eventual success of the campaign are given below.

Historian 1

The main reason for the abolition of the slave trade was economic. Britain no longer needed the slave trade. Britain’s industries were growing rapidly.

Historian 2

The revival in religion was the main reason for ending the slave trade.

Historian 3

While the abolitionist movement was not a one-man band, much of the credit must go to Wilberforce

Historian 4

The key reason that the slave trade was abolished was that people believed that slaves were going to rise up in rebellion at any time.

Extension Reading

Source 14 –

Why was Slavery finally abolished in the British Empire?

In July 1833, a Bill to abolish slavery throughout the British Empire passed in the House of Commons, followed by the House of Lords on 1st August. There has been a lot of debate over the factors that contributed to the final success of the bill:

· A change in economic interests.   As the industrial revolution took hold in the 18th century, Britain no longer needed slave-based goods. The country was more able to prosper from new systems which required high efficiency, through free trade and free labour. Cotton, rather than sugar, became the main produce of the British economy and English towns, such as Manchester, became industrial centres of world importance. 

· Parliamentary reform. When parliament was finally reformed in 1832, two-thirds of those who supported slavery were swept from power.

· Abolition campaigns and religious groups. The demand for freedom for enslaved people had become extremely popular. It was now driven forward, not only by the formal abolition campaign but by a coalition of churches.

The act, however, did not free enslaved people immediately; they were to become "apprentices" for 6 years. Compensation of £20 million was to be paid to the planters. Protests finally forced the government to abolish the apprenticeship system on 1st August, 1838. 

Economic decline of the Slave Trade – Historical Debate

It has been argued that by the 19th century sugar began to face competition from cotton as the main product of the British economy. ‘The Industrial Revolution’ placed English towns such as Manchester and Salford at the cutting edge of industry around the world and sugar cultivation in the West Indies began to be of less importance. Louisiana, Java and Australia became prominent centres of production. This is an area of debate amongst historians. One group of historians believe that slavery slowly became less profitable and that this resulted in abolition.

General election of 1806

This produced a large number of MPs who supported abolition. In February 1807, Grenville secured an abolition bill through the Lords (it was the first time the Lords had supported the end of the slave trade) Three weeks later the Commons followed suit. On the 25th March 1807, George III signed the bill. The British Slave Trade was over.

Role of Wilberforce

Wilberforce certainly deserves some credit for the banning of the British slave trade in 1807 and the act that freed Britain's slaves that was finally passed in 1833.

Although he favoured a more cautious and gradual eradication of slavery, he was a key representative of the anti-slave trade forces. Gracious, witty, and devoutly religious, he was also a great speaker who was beloved by almost everyone who knew him.

His charm, personal kindness and reputation for honesty gave him influence with his fellow MPs that few others in parliament had.

But was the abolition of the slave trade and slavery mainly the work of this likeable, saintly man and his circle of similarly religious friends? Today, most historians see the long struggle to end the slave trade as much more complex than simply being the work of Wilberforce alone.

Wilberforce was not a skilful tactician. Although for more than a decade he introduced an abolition bill every year, he often did it late in the parliamentary session, or at a time when MPs were distracted by other issues.

He was disorganised when it came to the essential task of lining up votes in advance. When he managed to get the House of Commons to vote to abolish the slave trade in 1792, he had done no groundwork in the House of Lords, which failed to pass the measure.

Pressures outside parliament

Whatever Wilberforce's efforts, parliament would have done nothing about the slave trade if there had not been a huge popular movement relentlessly creating pressure outside its walls. For that the credit goes mainly to Thomas Clarkson.

Wilberforce believed that government was best left to the propertied and educated, so he was always uncomfortable with mass expressions of political opinion, and he opposed the idea of boycotting sugar. He recognised that some form of public pressure on parliament was essential, and, despite their differences on other issues, he and Clarkson were friends and colleagues for more than 40 years.

Role of Clarkson

Clarkson forged the essential alliance with the Quakers, which brought financial support to the movement and a nationwide network of volunteers from the first religious denomination in Britain to take a stand against slavery.

Wilberforce versus Clarkson

During their lifetimes, Wilberforce and Clarkson shared public attention and both were much honoured for their role in ending slavery. After Wilberforce's death, two of his sons produced a five-volume biography that greatly downgraded Clarkson's role in the movement and did not credit the role the slave revolts played. It portrayed Wilberforce as being almost single-handedly responsible for ending British slavery.

Clarksonhas had no comparable lobby of supporters. And until recently, few Britons have wanted to recognise either the crucial role of the Caribbean slave revolts, or of black or women abolitionists such as Olaudah Equiano or Elizabeth Heyrick.

William Wilberforce deserves an important place in the story of emancipation, but he shares it with many others, both black and white, men and women, in Britain and the Caribbean.

Lesson 4 – Abolition Essay

Source 15 – Marking instructions from the SQA

Questions that ask ‘to what extent…’ (8 marks)

Candidates must make a judgement about the extent to which different factors contributed to an event or development, or to its impact. They are required to provide a balanced account of the influence of different factors and come to a reasoned conclusion based on the evidence presented.

Up to 5 marks should be given for relevant, factual, key points of knowledge used to support factors; with 1 mark given for each point. If only one factor is presented a maximum of 3 marks should be given for relevant points of knowledge.

Up to 3 further marks should be given for presenting the answer in a structured way and coming to a reasoned conclusion, as follows:

· 1 mark for the answer being presented in a structured way, with knowledge being organised in support of different factors (this means in paragraphs).

· 1 mark for a valid judgement or overall conclusion.

· 1 mark for a reason being provided in support of the conclusion.