How Did Politics End The Slave Trade?

Question 1

France tried to reintroduce slavery

Answer 1

. France abolished slavery in 1794 but it was restored by Napoleon in 1803
. Link between pro abolition and anti-French

Question 2

Parliaments investigation into slave ships

Answer 2

In 1788 the House of Commons’ Select Committee sent a naval captain to measure the slaveship Brookes and calculate her legal cargo

Question 3

What did the plans for the slave ship Brooke’s show?

Answer 3

. 451 slaves could be stowed using every available space until the bodies touched
. Each slave had a space 16 inches wide to lie in
. On one voyage the Brookes had carried 600 slaves

Question 4

How was the model used by parliament - how many posters were printed?

Answer 4

. Model commissioned by Thomas Clarkson
. In 1788 the model and images were used to shock the public
. Over 7000 posters of the plan were printed and distributed
.The Brookes image used to campaign for a limit in the number of slaves on board

Question 5

What did the Dolben Act mean for the Brooke’s ship?

Answer 5

This meant the Brookes could then only carry 454 Africans

Question 6

Enlightenment

Answer 6

. Believed in ‘Rights of man’
. French Revolution and American War of Independence influenced it
. Ordinary people questioned the right of one human being to own another

Question 7

How did petitions work?

Answer 7

. Organisers would advertise them in the local press inviting people to sign
. When completed they were presented to Parliament by an MP

Question 8

How many petitions were submitted to parliament in 1788 and 1793 - how many names?

Answer 8

. 102 petitions in 1788, rising to 519 in 1792
. This was the greatest number ever submitted on one particular subject - over 400,000 names

Question 9

How many in Manchester supported Wilberforce’s first bill?

Answer 9

. Manchester’s was the largest and contained 10,639 signatures.
. A further petition raised by Manchester in 1792 attracted almost double the number of signatures

Question 10

What new bill was raised in 1806?

Answer 10

Abolish the slave trade into foreign ports, particularly those of colonies belonging to Britain’s enemies

Question 11

How was the bill to abolish the slave trade in foreign ports received by parliament?

Answer 11

Received broad support in the House of Commons and was sent to the Lords where it was well received

Question 12

How was the bill to abolish the slave trade in foreign ports received by Manchester manufacturers?

Answer 12

. Manchester’s manufacturers raised a petition about their concerns that abolition would cause a loss of trade resulting in widespread unemployment
. Petition signed by over 400 people

Question 13

What was the response the Manchester manufactures attempt to block the 1806 bill?

Answer 13

. Supporters of abolition moved quickly to raise a counter-petition
. 2,348 people had signed it
. The Act passed into law soon afterwards

Question 14

Impact of the 1806 bill

Answer 14

Within the year the total abolition of the trade was achieved

Question 15

How did the American War of Independence help the abolition cause?

Answer 15

Left behind a new political atmosphere where people thought more about human experience

Question 16

What was William Smith’s Slave Carrying Act of 1799?

Answer 16

Legislation designed to regulate the way that slaves were carried on British ships.

Question 17

When did the Zong case occur?

Answer 17

1783

Question 18

What was the Zong case?

Answer 18

Insurance claim in British courts revealed the disposal of slaves overboard

Question 19

How many slaves perished in the Zong case?

Answer 19

133

Question 20

What legislation regulated the way that slaves were carried on British ships

Answer 20

William Smith’s Slave Carrying Act of 1799