The Abolition of the Slave Trade

Question 1

Number of slave voyages between 1500-1800

Answer 1

35,000

Question 2

When were the Quakers set up?

Answer 2

1657

Question 3

When was the West India Lobby set up? What were they?

Answer 3

1733

Pro-slavery lobby with links with MPs

Question 4

How did the slave trade rely on risk and reward?

Answer 4

Slave ships expensive (£3100 for Ann) but profits could sometime by 100%

Question 5

What did John Newton do?

Answer 5

Was a slave ship sailor, converted to Christianity and wrote the hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ in 1764

Question 6

How much cotton was imported in 1761?

Answer 6

£3 million’s worth

Question 7

How did the American War of Independence impact the abolition of the slave trade?

Answer 7

Brought up issues of freedom of man and cut ties between America and Britain (part of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade)

Question 8

How integral was slavery in Britain’s economy in the 1780s?

Answer 8

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

Question 9

When did America declare independence?

Answer 9

1783

Question 10

When was the Society of Friends set up?

Answer 10

1783

Present petition to parliament with 300 signatures

Question 11

How did the Quakers spread the message of abolition in 1784?

Answer 11

Using pamphlets- 10,000 distributed in 1784

Question 12

What did Thomas Clarkson publish in 1786?

Answer 12

‘Essay on the slavery and commerce of the human species’

Question 13

When was the Society for Effecting the Abolition (SEAST) set up? What was it?

Answer 13

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

Question 14

When was the petition in Manchester calling for abolition? How many signatures did it have?

Answer 14

1787- 10,500 signatures

Question 15

What was Josiah Wedgewoods’s role in the abolition movement?

Answer 15

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)

Question 16

When did Wilberforce first join the abolition movement?

Answer 16

1787, after reading Clarkson’s essay

Question 17

What was the Sons of Africa Organisation?

Answer 17

Group made of Africans living in London- Oldaudah Equiano joins in 1787

Question 18

What was the Dolben Act? Who supported it?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

What did Equiano publish in 1789?

Answer 19

‘The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano’ which was a biography of his life to persuade people of the immorality of slavery

Question 20

What was Wilberforce’s role in the abolition movement?

Answer 20

Made speeches every year for 16 years to parliament (starting in 1789) to raise issue of slavery and call for its abolition

Question 21

What was Clarkson’s role in the abolition movement?

Answer 21

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

Question 22

What did William Fox publish in 1791?

Answer 22

Anti-sugar pamphlet, of which 70,000 were distributed to encourage the boycott of slave-grown sugar

Question 23

When did Wilberforce first put forward an abolition bill to parliament? How was it received?

Answer 23

1791- it was beaten by 163 votes to 88

Did inspire a few other MPs

Question 24

What were the slave uprisings in Haiti (French colony Saint Domingue)

Answer 24

Haitian Revolution 1791-1804 led by Toussaint Louverture resulted in a state led by non-whites without slavery

Question 25

How many petitions were signed against the slave trade in 1792?

Answer 25

519 with 390,000 signatures

Question 26

How successful was the sugar boycott of 1792?

Answer 26

Involved 400,000 and resulted in sugar sales dropping by 1/3

Question 27

When did the Colonial Assembly abandon use of metal collars and mutilation?

Answer 27

1792

Question 28

Where did slave uprisings intimidate the British government?

Answer 28

In British colony Jamaica 1793, inspired by Haiti Revolution, 3000 troops sent in to quell the revolts

Question 29

When/why did the French abolish the slave trade?

Answer 29

1794- after French Revolution seemed hypocritical to practise slave trade when they had been fighting for liberty and freedom

Question 30

How many branches of SEAST did Clarkson help to found in 1794?

Answer 30

While travelling the country, set up 1,200 branches of the Society

Question 31

Where were there slave uprisings in 1795?

Answer 31

Grenada and St Vincent- inspired by Haitian Revolution- wanted freedom

Question 32

When did Olaudah Equiano die?

Answer 32

1797

Question 33

When did France readopt the slave trade? How did this impact the British movement for Abolition?

Answer 33

1802- reinforced belief that abolition necessary- movement had lost momentum during Napoleonic wars but again was reinvigorated

Question 34

When was the Abolition of the Slave Trade passed? Why was this a surprise in Britain’s economy?

Answer 34

1807- still 87% of British textiles went to Africa, so would be losing a major export revenue