The Atlantic Slave Trade (British History)

Question 1

State three ways in which financial considerations affected the treatment of slaves during the Atlantic slave trade.

Answer 1

Treatment of Slaves - Financial considerations:

Slaves were viewed as property (or an investment) rather than people. Slavers prioritised profit over the needs of the slaves..

Examples:
- Slaves tightly packed into ships in order to maximise “cargo” for sale - cramped conditions were extremely unsanitary - around 10% of slaves would die during the passage

• Sick slaves were sometimes discarded e.g. the Zong 1781. They were thrown off the slaver ships, left to starve or sold cheaply to doctors who could treat them and sell them for a profit
• Some effort was made to keep slaves healthy because healthy looking slaves sold for more.
• Slaves were occasionally allowed onto the upper decks for exercise during the middle passage.
• Slaves were also allowed better quality food and some rest before they were sold off in order to maximise profit
• Slaves were worked hard on plantations in order to return a profit to their masters

Question 2

Give two examples of how fear of revolt affected the treatment of slaves.

Answer 2

Treatment of slaves.
Fear of revolt:

• Slaves were chained below deck during the middle passage
• Exemplary punishment was used to suppress slaves - there was a fear that being “soft” on slaves would encourage a revolt

Question 3

Give examples of attitudes that influenced the treatment of slaves during the Atlantic Slave Trade?

Answer 3

Attitudes that influenced the treatment of slaves:

Religious

• Used to justify poor treatment (The Curse of Ham)
• Church investments into plantations
• Many believed they were helping the slaves by converting them into Christians

Racism

• Africans believed to be inferior
• Belief that African captives would have had a worse life in their home country (belief that Africans were cannibalistic etc)

Humanitarian
- Some laws passed to help protect slaves e.g. “Dolben’s Act” (1788) and the Spanish “Coda Negro” (1785)

Question 4

State three factors that affected the relationship between slaves and their owners.

Answer 4

Factors affecting the relationship between slaves and their owners:

• Financial considerations
• Fear of revolt
• Beliefs (Religion and racism)

Question 5

State three main factors that contributed to the development of the Atlantic slave trade.

Answer 5

Factors leading to the development of the Atlantic slave trade:

• Economic need for slaves
• Military factors
• Permissive beliefs

Question 6

Give two examples of how the economic need for slaves contributed to the development of the slave trade.

Answer 6

Examples of how the economic need for slaves contributed to the development of the slave trade:

• The West Indies had great economic importance - a lot of profit could be made from tropical crops due to the high demand for goods like tobacco, cotton and sugar, which only grow in hot climate
• There was a demand for labour on plantations - The native population of the West Indies shrunk after diseases were brought over from Europe e.g. smallpox - this encouraged the colonists to find external sources of labour, turning to the methods used by the Spanish and Portuguese (African slaves)
• Alternatives to African slaves were unsuccessful e.g. shortage of indigenous labour, British criminals were sent to work on plantations but in unsubstantial numbers, European workers were vulnerable to tropical disease and frequently died, indentured servants were paid for however this was more expensive than the use of slaves

Question 7

Give examples of how military factors contributed to the development of the slave trade.

Answer 7

Examples of military factors affecting the development of the slave trade:

• The slave trade was initially dominated by the Spanish and Portuguese. Britain was expanding its power and the involvement in the slave trade offered some economic security
• 1713 Britain made peace with Spain, gaining the Asiento ( the license to supply African slaves to the Spanish colonies)
• Wars in Europe directly linked to the ownership of the trade - the power of the trade would shift from the defeated nations to the winning nations i.e. Slave labour was necessary for Britain to gain naval and territorial power over its competition
• Britain gained revenue from the taxed goods that were imported from the West Indies and the British government initially encouraged involvement in the slave trade because of the benefits it brought

Question 8

Give three examples of permissive beliefs that contributed to the development of the slave trade.

Answer 8

Permissive beliefs contributing to the development of the slave trade:

Racism

• The use of Africans for slaves justified by the belief that they were inferior to Europeans
• It was often argued that Africans benefitted from their capture as the Europeans had a ‘better’ way of life than the Africans

Legal Position
- Slaves regarded as property rather than people - they could be treated in more profitable ways than ordinary workers

Religion

• Used to justify the use of slavery e.g. The Curse of Ham
• Church investments in plantations that depended on slaves

Question 9

Give examples of how Britain directly benefitted from participation in Atlantic slave trade?

Answer 9

Ways Britain directly benefitted from the slave trade:

• Growth of ports such as London, Bristol and Liverpool, which benefitted from the supply of goods and services to slave traders. Glasgow in particular benefitted from the tobacco trade
• Growth in trade and manufacturing as British textiles, iron and weapons were shipped to Africa and traded for slaves - These goods were also shipped to the colonies
• Access to raw materials such as cotton, tobacco and sugar. Sugar became more affordable, increasing the demand. Refined sugar became a big industry in Britain, being exported across Europe. Cotton was used for Britains growing textile industry - 70% cotton from slave related sources

Question 10

Give three examples of how Britain indirectly benefitted from participation in the Atlantic slave trade.

Answer 10

Indirect benefits of slavery to Britain:

• Profit from the trade was reinvested into other projects like agriculture and steam power.
• The shipping industry boosted other related industries in ship building materials, providing jobs. Seamen were also trained for the middle passage and served as reserves for other naval endeavours e.g. war
• Banks benefitted from the insurance and loans that were required for voyages

Question 11

Some historians argue that Britains economic growth during the 18th century was not directly due to participation in the slave trade.

What evidence supports this view?

Answer 11

Alternative reasons for Britains economic growth:

Agricultural growth

• Fed the expanding population
• Provided jobs
• Created money to reinvest on industry and infrastructure

Technological innovation

• Development of water and steam power
• Mechanisation of textiles
• Access to coal and iron, provided an advantage in these industries

Political stability
- Unlike other European countries, Britain did not suffer as much from war, this economic stability helped to encourage economic development

Question 12

Why could it be argued that the slave trade was more important to Britains economic development during the 18th century than alternative reasons for growth?

Answer 12

It can be argued that slavery was more important to Britains economy than other factors for a number of reasons:

• Profits from the slave trade were sometimes reinvested into land improvement and thus may have helped the agricultural growth
• Profits from slavery were also used to fund the invention of steam power

Question 13

State the three main obstacles to abolition of the slave trade in Britain.

Answer 13

Obstacles to abolition of the slave trade in Britain:

Security concerns
(impact on war, fear of revolt)

Vested interests 
(West Indies investors, slaving ports, political system)

Economic benefits 
(Tax, raw materials, jobs and industry)

Question 14

Give examples of economic obstacles to the abolition of the slave trade in Britain.

Answer 14

Economic obstacles to abolition of the slave trade:

Many industries were heavily dependant on the slave trade:

• Textiles and sugar refining were both dependant on slave farmed raw materials
• Other industries were boosted by the demand for goods that were exported to Africa to pay for slaves
• Slaving Ports were reliant on the industry created by the slave trade - Both in supplying ships and in exports to Africa
• Many jobs were created through slave related industries such as ship building
• Britain generated income through tax on imported materials from the West Indies (link to security concerns as this income would have helped to fund wars)

Question 15

Why were vested interests a significant obstacle to the abolition of the slave trade in Britain?

Answer 15

Vested interests as an obstacle to abolition:

• Britains political system was not very democratic during the 18th century and the power was held by the wealthy, many of whom owned land or had investments in plantations
• Slaving Ports (sent MP’s to fight against abolition in parliament)
• The King (George III) was against abolition
• House of Lords (Had equal status to the House of Commons but were less influence by public opinions)
• Anti-abolition propaganda was created to discourage abolition by those with vested interests
• Vested interests are very significant as many of those in power directly benefitted from the success of the trade, making it difficult for abolitionists to change the laws surrounding slavery

Question 16

Give examples of why security concerns were a significant obstacle to abolition of the slave trade in Britain

Answer 16

Security concerns as an obstacle to abolition:

• Britain was frequently at war during the 18th century and income generated by the slave trade helped to finance these wars
• Rival countries (The French, Spanish, Dutch and Americans) were all participants in the Atlantic slave trade and there was fear that the trade would fall to these countries should Britain go through with abolition
• There was fear that Britains slave dependant colonies may revolt if they were deprived of slaves (this fear escalated after the American Revolution)
• There were fears that abolition would encourage a slave revolt after the St. Dominique rebellion (1791)
• The French Revolution exaggerated fears of revolution, particularly among the British elite (The King, Lords and MP’s) who all felt directly threatened by the war

Question 17

When did campaigning for abolition of the slave trade begin?

Answer 17

Campaigning for abolition of the slave trade began in the 1750’s

Question 18

When was the British slave trade officially abolished?

Answer 18

The British slave trade was abolished in 1807.

Question 19

How many annual abolition bills did Wilberforce take to parliament?

Answer 19

Wilberforce fought for abolition in parliament every from 1791 until the bill was passed in 1807
(16 abolition bills)

Question 20

Why did the abolition bill finally pass in 1807? State the three main factors.

Answer 20

Factors contributing to the abolition of the slave trade:

• Changing ideas
  (Religious revival and the Enlightenment)
• Campaigning
  (Public action and key campaigners)
• Weakened opposition
  (Military stability, decline in economic importance and slave resistance)

Question 21

What percentage of the Atlantic slave trade did Britain control during the 18th century?

Answer 21

Britain controlled 50% of the Atlantic slave trade during the 18th century.

Question 22

What was the “Religious Revival” and how did it impact the abolition of the slave trade (1807)?

Answer 22

The Religious Revival:

What was it?
- The religious revival occurred during the late 18th century as people bagan changing their views on slavery

• Religious groups like the Quakers, Methodists began to oppose slavery, stating that it was against the teachings of Jesus
• The Evangelical movement, within the church of England, lead people to take their religion more seriously and read the bible for themselves, resulting in a changed perspective on the moral acceptability of slavery

How did it impact abolition?
- Religion provided moral grounds for abolition, this is important as there would be no case against slavery without the moral argument

• Many key campaigners took their inspiration from religion e.g. William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson
• Bishops from the Church of England had seats in parliament so had a direct influence on the passing of the abolition bill
• Religion had a big impact on public opinion, thus leading to further public action e.g. the sugar boycott

Question 23

Name a philosopher who was influential during the period of “Enlightenment”

Answer 23

Influential philosophers:

• Voltaire
• John Locke
• Jean Jaques Rousseau

Question 24

Why do some historians argue that William Wilberforce played a particularly significant role the abolition campaign?

Answer 24

The significance of Wilberforce:

• Wilberforce was well educated and had good connections with the upper classes, for example he was friends with William Pitt (The Prime Minister)
• Wilberforce took the campaign to parliament, something other campaigners could not have done
• Wilberforce was extremely persistent and fought 16 years in parliament for abolition
• Wilberforce was tactical e.g. stepping back from the Foreign slave trade bill (1806) to make it seem less like an abolitionist measure and more like a patriotic one

Question 25

What was the impact of the 1791 sugar boycott?

Answer 25

The 1791 sugar boycott gained approximately 300,000 supporters and sugar consumption was cut by one-third. This significantly reduced the profitability of slave farmed sugar.

Question 26

Which two key figures provided firsthand experiences of participation in the slave trade?

Answer 26

Firsthand accounts of the slave trade:

• Oludah Equiano (a freed slave)
• John Newton (a former slave captain)

Question 27

Give examples of events that weakened the opposition to abolition of the slave trade.

Answer 27

Events that weakened the opposition to abolition:

The Battle of Trafalgar (1805)

The Foreign Slave Trade Bill (1806)

The capture of French and Spanish sugar colonies

The “continental blockade”

The St. Dominique revolt (1791)

Question 28

What did the Foreign Slave Trade Bill (1806) achieve?

Answer 28

The Foreign Slave Trade Bill was a military action taken to stop the supply of slaves to enemy colonies. This was also useful to the abolition campaign as it halved the profitability of the slave trade.

Question 29

What happened at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) that weakened the opposition to the abolition campaign?

Answer 29

The Battle of Trafalgar (1805)

Britain was victorious in this battle, securing dominance of the seas and international trade. This put Britain in a good position to enforce abolition of the slave trade

Question 30

Why did the economic importance of the slave trade decline towards the end of the 18th century?

Answer 30

Decline in economic importance of slavery:

• Profitability of sugar goes down (over supply of sugar due to the “continental blockade” and British capture of enemy sugar colonies)
• Britain was increasing exports of iron, coal and textiles, meaning industry was no not as reliant on slave farmed materials
• The East India Company provided an alternative source for materials like sugar and cotton without the use of slave labour

Question 31

Why could it be argued that direct benefits from the slave trade were not that important to Britains economic development during the 18th century??

Answer 31

Importance of direct benefits:

• International trade only accounted for roughly 15% of Britains national income and the triangular trade only accounted for a fifth of Britains total trade, so the impact of slave related exports overall was relatively small
• However, it should be noted that the textiles industry was heavily reliant on the supply of cotton brought in by the triangular trade and this industry was very important to Britains economic growth