Final Dismantlement of slave

systems, 1807-1886
The abolition of the trans-atlantic
trade in Africans.
 Lest you forget-
Doris Hamilton-Willie

Reasons for passing of Act to abolish Slave

trade
A) hard work of Abolitionists.
B) Establishment of Continental blaockade by
napoleon Bonaparte during napoleonic wars.
( glut of sugar on british market which meant fall
in price.
C) Planters in older colonies supported abolition.
( fearing competition from newer colonies)
Reasons for passing of abolition of
slave trade act.
British slave traders supplied slaves to foreign
territorries and provided competition for British
West indian sugar production.

The death of British Prime Minister , William Pitt

in 1806 cleared the way for appointment of men
who supported the abolition movement. (William
WyndhamGrenville, PM , and foreign secretary
Charles James Fox )
 From Columbus to castro-
Eric Williams
Abolition of slavery:
slave trade ;
1803Denmark
1833Britain
1807Britain
1846Sweden
1817France
1848France
1818Holland
1863Holland
1820Spain Rico
1873Puerto
1824Sweden
1880Cuba
State of Jamaican plantation sector
prior to 1807
Between 1799 and 1807-65 plantations
abandoned, 32 sold due to bankruptcy

1806 price of sugar less than cost of

production.
 Freedom Delayed: Verene Shepherd

Opposition
White Activists:broad-based
to the Transatlanticalliance
Tradeofinreligious
Africans sects,
by:
politicians, philosophers,
Slave Activists: intellectuals,
In Africa, On industrialists,
middle passage, on
workers organisations
plantations. and womens
Strategies included groups.
running away,Religious
everyday
groups included Baptists,
acts of sabotage, methodists, Moravians and
wars of resistance.
Quakers.
 Opposition to TTA: White Activists
contd
Society for the abolition of the Slave Trade
formed in 1787 by Granville Sharpe and Thomas
Clarkson.
Adam Smith, -Economist-( The Wealth of
Nations)
Influential whites included: Thomas Fowell
Buxton, George Fox, John Wesley, Joseph
Sturge, Josiah Wedgewood, Joseph
Woods,James Phillips,Joseph Hooper,
George Harrison, John Barton
 Women Activists
Women contributed approximately 10 % of
financial support of the Society for The Abolition
of the Slave trade.
Women included:Mary Birkett, Hannah Moore,
Mary Wollstonecraft.
A considerable body of working and middle class
women were involved in the campaign from its
early stages.
Stategies used by women included speaking out
against the TTA, boycotting slave grown produce
and writing anti-slavery tracts.
 Black Activists
Ignatius
OlaudahSancho-went
Equiano or Gustavus
to EnglandVassa-kidnapped
at age 2 in 1731. in Africa
( First African
at age 11.
to
vote in Britain).
Eventually boughtHehis
wasfreedom
a popular
fromshopkeeper.
his third master,
First African
a Quaker.
proseHe
writer to
wrote and
have
published
his work
hispublished
abolitionist
in autobiography
England. Vocaland opponent
best seller,
of
trafficking
The Interesting
in Africans.Wrote
narrative of the
numerous
Life of Olaudah
letters soliciting
Equiano, support
or
against the
Gustavus Vassa,
slaveThe
trade.
African. He travelled extensively around
Britain giving talks about the evils of the TTA.
 Black Activists, Contd
Ottabah Cugoano- First published African critic of the
TTA. Kidnapped in Ghana and enslaved . Migrated from
Grenada to England around 1752 and given his freedom.
Published in 1787,Thoughts and Sentiments of the Evil
and Wicked traffic of the Slavery nd Commerce of the
human Species. He wrote that enslaved people had
both the moral right and moral duty to resist their
masters.
Sons of Africa group of Africans in London who gave
support to abolition movement.
Testimonies of slaves- exposed by abolitionists
Black Activists included: Robert mandeville,Thomas
Cooper, Jasper Goree and William Greene.
 Role of Haiti
St. Domingue Revolution of 1791 led to
emancipation and Haitian independence.
Haitian constitution of 1805 declared that
any enslaved person who arrived in Haiti
would be declared a citizen. This
effectively abolished slavery and replaced
it with citizenship.
Haiti became the Atlantic symbol of black
redemption and liberation.
 Liberties Lost- Verene Shepherd
1791- French
European Abolitionist
nationalMovements
assembly debated and condemmed both the
transatlantic slave trading
French Abolitionist and influenced
Movement colonial slave owning.
by Marie Jean Condorcet,
Antoine Lavosier,
Declared that any Jacques-Pierre
person who arrived
Brissot,
on French
Honorssoil
Mirabeau,
would be
Etienne
free
Claviere,
of slavery.Louis-Alexandra La Rochefoucauld and Jerome Petion.
French govt. distinguished between slave trading and slave owning.
1794 Convention in paris abolished slavery.
Slave trading continued under law.
 Legislating Abolition
In 1783
An act ofthe
thehouse
BritishofParliament
Commons was nextneeded
debatedtoaend bill to
theabolish
slave trade.
the
TTA on moral
Petitions startedgrounds.
to reachThis was not supported
the Parliament as it was the view
around 1776.
of
In the
1776majority of members
Davis Hartley that slavery
presented the firstwas
Bill too important
against to and
slavery the the
economy
TTA. This of therejected.
was British empire for the TTA to end.
1787- Founding of a Committee for Effecting the Abolition of the
Slave trade -2-phased approach taken: first abolition of trade then
abolition of slavery.
 Legislating abolition, contd
1781- William Wilberforce introduced bill to
abolish TTA ( defeated by 163 votes to 88).
1804-House of Commons passed Slave
Abolition Bill thrown out by House of Lords.
1805-Prime Minister, William Pitt secured Order-
In-Council indicating that as of 1806 certain
Crown Colonies, would not longer be allowed to
import Africans.( William Pitt died in 1806)
Government of new Prime Minister, Lord
Grenville was opposed to TTA.
 Legislating Abolition Contd
1806 Resolution moved by Charles Fox for the
immediate and total abolition of the slave trade.
1807-Slave trade Abolition Bill was passed in the
House of lords by 40 votes to 20. Became law in
May 1807 and became effective 1st january
1808.
The exception to this Act: ships which were
already cleared to trade Africans. These ships
could operate until march 1808.
 Responses to Abolition
English
In 1811 the
slavers
British
sailed
govt.
under
increased
flags of
theother
penalties
countries
for these
that
still had slave
offences in hope
trade
of reducing
, eg. France,
theseSpain,
activities.
Portugal.
Haitian
Slave captains
govt. patrolled
often threw
the high
human seas
cargo
and freed
overboard
the slaves
if
they granted
and were discovered
them Haitianby British
citizenship,
navy. eg. Spanish ship
Dos Unidos, in 1819.
 French Abolitionist Movement
Influential persons: Marie Jean Condorcet,Antoine
Lavoisier, Jacques-Pierre Brissot, Honors
Mirabeau,Etienne Clavier, Louis-alexandre La
Rochefoucauld, Jerome Petion.
1791-French national Assembly debated and
condemmed both TTA and colonial slave owning.
Declared that any person who arrived on French soil
would be free of slavery.
French distinguished between slave trading and slave
ownership.
1794-Convention in Paris abolished slavery but
continued slave trading.
 Danish Abolition
1792-Danish govt. declared that from 1803 slave trade
would be prohibited in its colonies.
Danish colonies, St. Croix and St. thomas stocked up on
slaves by importing large amounts.
Danish govts position was that economic benefits of
slave trade had fallen to low level and was no longer
worth the moral and political criticism and outrage.
African forts were no longer profitable.
Danish govt. recommended the breeding of creole
slaves instead of purchasing new African slaves.
Colonist encouraged to treat slaves well and promote
natural increase.
 Past paper questions
Assess
Discussthe
thefactors
view that
thata contributed
combinationtoofthe
abolition of theand
developments trans-Atlantic
ideas broughttrade
about
in
Africans
the abolition
to the
of Caribbean.
slavery in the
( 2008)
British
caribbean.(2002)
 American Abolition Movement
1780s many states eg. Carolinas ,
Maryland and Virginia outlawed the
importation of enslaved persons from
Africa.
1778-Legislature of massachusetts
debated an anti-human trade bill.
1778- Virginians voted to free all illegally
imported Africans.