How Convincing Do You Find The View That The Slave Trade Ended Because Of The Fear Of Slave Rebellions?

Question 1

Paragraph one - extract one

Answer 1

Agrees with the question that slave rebellion were the most important factor in ending the trade
‘Among the slaves themselves’
Evident in the Haitian revolution - 120000 people died, shows how many people were involved in the evils of the trade and willing to lose their life for either cause
Conservative reaction from government- fearful of other colonies following in pursuit
British opposition of the trade - writings, petitions and preachings
- Clarkson and Wilberforce
Haitian constitution of 1805 - progress because of rebellion
Pressure from slaves = most important

Question 2

Paragraph two - extract two

Answer 2

Disagrees with the question
Believes the changing political climate was the cause of the end of the trade
The Enlightenment played a large part too ‘major intellectual revolution’ in politics, economics and philosophy
Ideas of liberty began floating - French Revolution
Thomas Paine’s ‘right of man’ and Adam Smith’s policies on economics ‘waste of money’

Question 3

Paragraph three - My Agree

Answer 3

Haitian revolution- call to arms across the Americas with other colonies following
- ended the colonial belief that Africans were born natural slaves
Military presence to stop violence costed a lot of money and was not economically attractive
Loss of workers and productivity also cost plantation openers a lot of money
Overturned the master and slave dynamic - working class Britain sympathised
Pragmatic economic arguments followed
Slave rebellions affected the economy and the economy was a large factor in the abolition

Question 4

Paragraph four - my disagree

Answer 4

The immediate Haiti response was to make the government intransigent to abolitionist demands which was counterproductive
Humanitarian appeal was also a large factor in abolition and the blood shed was definitely not humanitarian
The trade ended in 1807 when there was no direct threat of violence of rebellion from many of the colonies (the economy was also doing well)
Wilberforce himself never mentioned this as a factor for abolition

Question 5

Conclusion

Answer 5

Overall
Was important to raise awareness however I don’t think it has much of a political consequence for the government.
Was not a main reason why abolition of the trade happened but it was a factor that helped