Britain Booklet 1 Flashcards
What were Quakers?
Quakers were a religious group that tried to ban slavery
How did the Quakers try to ban slavery?
In June 1783, Quakers presented a petition against the slave trade signed by 273 people, they then set up a 23 person committee
In July 1783, a second Quaker committee was set up which sent a dozen newspapers highlighting the evils of slavery to educate the public
In 1784, 10,000 copies of their pamphlet ‘The case of our fellow creatures’, was distributed amongst MPs, the royal family and the general public
The Quakers received support from former slaves, including Equiano and 8 Africans presented them with an address of thanks
What was the Zong Case?
In 1781, the Zong, captained by Luke Collingwood sailed to Jamaica with 440 slaves, the journey took twice as long due to calm winds
Three months into the journey, more than 60 slaves were already dead and they were insured at £30 a head, and if they died due to ‘perils of the sea’ insurance covered the loss to the captain
In total, 133 slaves were thrown overboard and the captain made the insurance claim but it was disputed so it was taken to trial
One of the crewmates admitted there was 420 gallons of water spare on board so there was no reason for the slaves to be jettisoned
Granville Sharp gathered evidence and tried to prosecute the crew for murder
At the second trial, Lord Mansfield declared that this was not a murder case, it was ‘just as if horses were killed’
What was the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade?
The Society is integral in the humanitarian and morality based arguments about the end of the slave trade, they were unrivalled as a lobby group from its creation in 1787 and tireless in its campaigning. It was made up of many social reformers from numerous religious backgrounds, they aimed to raise awareness amongst the public and apply political pressure to the government by raising petitions and bills in the House of Commons
In Manchester in 1787, how many people had signed an abolition petition?
10,700
How much of Britain’s income depended on the slave trade?
24%
How many MPs were closely linked with the West India Lobby by the 1790s?
50
How many slave voyages took place during the 18th century?
35,000
Which port by the 1790s was the biggest slave-trading port in England and claimed 3/7 of European trade?
Liverpool
In Bristol in the 1780s, how much of Bristol’s income was slave based?
40%
How much of Britain’s textile output went abroad in 1784-86 and 1805-07?
87%
What funded the All Souls College at Oxford?
Profits from a slave plantation in Barbados
How much profit did the Codrington plantation make and from how much land and with how many slaves?
£2000 a year on 710 acres of land with 276 slaves
How many slave voyages did William Davenport invest in and how much profit did he make during the 18th century?
74 slave voyages and 8.1% profit
How much did William Davenport’s profits increase to during the American War of Independence
In just two voyages, one netted 73.5% profit while the other netted 147% profit
How many hogsheads of sugar was Britain importing by the mid 1700s
100,000 (63 gallon casks)
How much would it cost to fit out a slave ship, and how much profit could one bring?
£370,000 to fit out the ship and £450,000 revenue each time
How long did each journey take?
Around 13 weeks
How many ships had revolts on them?
1 in 10
Which country was allegedly threatening Britain’s Slave trade?
France
What did Thomas Clarkson do?
Collected Evidence to support the abolition of the slave trade
Interviewed 20,000 sailors to gather evidence
Campaigned around the country travelling 35,000 miles
Went to France and also campaigned for the abolition of the slave trade there
Helped found the Society for Abolition of the Slave Trade
What did William Wilberforce do?
Led the parliamentary campaign
Regularly introduced bills to abolish or limit the slave trade
Continued to go against slavery despite the setbacks
Founded the Society for Gradual Abolition
What did Olaudah Equiano do?
Was a prominent figure in the campaign to end the slave trade
Taken at 11 and sold to a Royal Navy officer
Was sold twice but bought his freedom in 1766
In 1783 he informed Granville Sharp about the fraud and told him about the Zong massacre
Became one of 8 delegates to Africans in America to present an address of thanks
Bought his freedom for £40
What did Mary Prince do?
Even after slavery was banned in Britain, it was still in the West Indies, so she went to London and the Anti-Slavery Society, and despite having rheumatism and being sold 3 times herself, she still fought for abolition
What did Alexander Falconbridge do?
In 1787 he published a pamphlet called ‘A Summary View of the Slave Trade’ and of the probable consequences of it’s abolition. He also gave evidence to a privy council and underwent four days of questions at the house of commons
Why was the loss of America significant for the British slave trade?
In 1776, approximately 20% of the population of the 13 colonies was of African descent, so this was a huge loss of a market for Britain
What was the Dolben Act of 1788
The Dolben Act restricted the number of slave allowed on a ship, this was renewed each year with improvements until it was made permanent with the Slave Regulation Act of 1799
How were the actions of Napoleon significant?
The French had banned Slavery in 1794, however Napoleon reintroduced it in 1802 in the French colonies and this made the British reconsider their position on slavery further
Who’s support did William Wilberforce gain in 1806?
The prime minister William Pitt and his successor William Grenville
When was Slavery abolished?
1807
When were Thomas Paine and Thomas Hardy put on trial?
The Treason Trials of 1793 and 1794
What happened in the Slave Riots in Saint Domingue (1791)?
1000 plantations burned, 12,000 people killed
Saint Domingue was the crown jewel of the French Slave trade and was twice the size of the largest British colony
Saint Domingue produced 30% of the world’s sugar and half of the world’s coffee
Saint Domingue’s annual production of sugar and other crops was double that of all British Caribbean islands
In September 1793, the British came and took it for themselves and landed soldiers on the island
What happened in the Slave Riots in Grenada (1795)?
In 1795 Rebelling Slaves and mulattos captured the Island’s governor and massacred whites, destroyed most of the plantations and help the bulk of the island for months
What happened in the Slave Riots in St. Lucia (1795)?
In 1795, slaves rose up led by Victor Hugues and forced out every white slave owner and the British Army had to be sent to crush the rebellion
It took 12,000 British troops to retake the Island against 2,000 slaves in 1803
What happened in the Slave Riots in Jamaica (1795)?
The revolt was led by a community of free blacks known as Maroons
Approximately 500 Maroons rebelled with just 150 muskets, against 5000 British troops and Jamaican Militia
Fighting lasted around half a year and cost the British £500,000
In December 1795 a surrender was agreed and 569 Maroons were deported to Nova Scotia
In the 1780s how many slave ships left Britain?
Over 1000
Between 1784-1786 and 1805-1807, what percentage of British textiles were sold for the slave trade?
87%
How much money was made by the slave trade per year by the end of the 1700s?
3 million
Between 1793-1801, how many British soldiers died in the Caribbean?
45,000
In the 18th century, how many slave voyages took place?
35,000
