The Abolition of the Slave Trade Flashcards
Number of slave voyages between 1500-1800
35,000
When were the Quakers set up?
1657
When was the West India Lobby set up? What were they?
1733
Pro-slavery lobby with links with MPs
How did the slave trade rely on risk and reward?
Slave ships expensive (£3100 for Ann) but profits could sometime by 100%
What did John Newton do?
Was a slave ship sailor, converted to Christianity and wrote the hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ in 1764
How much cotton was imported in 1761?
£3 million’s worth
How did the American War of Independence impact the abolition of the slave trade?
Brought up issues of freedom of man and cut ties between America and Britain (part of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade)
How integral was slavery in Britain’s economy in the 1780s?
40% Bristol’s income based on slavery
1000 slave ships carried 300,000 slaves from British ports into captivity
87% British textiles went to Africa
When did America declare independence?
1783
When was the Society of Friends set up?
1783
Present petition to parliament with 300 signatures
How did the Quakers spread the message of abolition in 1784?
Using pamphlets- 10,000 distributed in 1784
What did Thomas Clarkson publish in 1786?
‘Essay on the slavery and commerce of the human species’
When was the Society for Effecting the Abolition (SEAST) set up? What was it?
1787- made up of 12 men (Quakers and evangelists) who met in a London printing press and aimed to educate public on the slave trade
When was the petition in Manchester calling for abolition? How many signatures did it have?
1787- 10,500 signatures
What was Josiah Wedgewoods’s role in the abolition movement?
Created symbol for the movement ‘Am I not a man and a brother?’ in 1787 and other pottery products to spread idea of abolition (eg snuffboxes, necklaces, crockery)
When did Wilberforce first join the abolition movement?
1787, after reading Clarkson’s essay
What was the Sons of Africa Organisation?
Group made of Africans living in London- Oldaudah Equiano joins in 1787
What was the Dolben Act? Who supported it?
Passed in 1788 it regulated the way in which slaves were carried in slave ships- Sons of Africa marched on Parliament in favour of its passing
What did Equiano publish in 1789?
‘The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano’ which was a biography of his life to persuade people of the immorality of slavery
What was Wilberforce’s role in the abolition movement?
Made speeches every year for 16 years to parliament (starting in 1789) to raise issue of slavery and call for its abolition
What was Clarkson’s role in the abolition movement?
In 1790, he visited 317 ships interviewing 3000 sailors and travelled 35,000 miles across the country speaking to the public about slavery
Was part of SEAST
What did William Fox publish in 1791?
Anti-sugar pamphlet, of which 70,000 were distributed to encourage the boycott of slave-grown sugar
When did Wilberforce first put forward an abolition bill to parliament? How was it received?
1791- it was beaten by 163 votes to 88
Did inspire a few other MPs
What were the slave uprisings in Haiti (French colony Saint Domingue)
Haitian Revolution 1791-1804 led by Toussaint Louverture resulted in a state led by non-whites without slavery
How many petitions were signed against the slave trade in 1792?
519 with 390,000 signatures
How successful was the sugar boycott of 1792?
Involved 400,000 and resulted in sugar sales dropping by 1/3
When did the Colonial Assembly abandon use of metal collars and mutilation?
1792
Where did slave uprisings intimidate the British government?
In British colony Jamaica 1793, inspired by Haiti Revolution, 3000 troops sent in to quell the revolts
When/why did the French abolish the slave trade?
1794- after French Revolution seemed hypocritical to practise slave trade when they had been fighting for liberty and freedom
How many branches of SEAST did Clarkson help to found in 1794?
While travelling the country, set up 1,200 branches of the Society
Where were there slave uprisings in 1795?
Grenada and St Vincent- inspired by Haitian Revolution- wanted freedom
When did Olaudah Equiano die?
1797
When did France readopt the slave trade? How did this impact the British movement for Abolition?
1802- reinforced belief that abolition necessary- movement had lost momentum during Napoleonic wars but again was reinvigorated
When was the Abolition of the Slave Trade passed? Why was this a surprise in Britain’s economy?
1807- still 87% of British textiles went to Africa, so would be losing a major export revenue
