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How important were the slaves’ own actions in the Abolition of the Slave…
How important were the slaves’ own actions in the Abolition of the Slave Trade?
Slave rebellions?
Defenders of slavery claimed that slaves were happy under their kind masters.
This had been one of the reasons for abolishing the slave trade in 1807
Masters would treat their slaves better if there was no regular supply of ‘new’ slaves from Africa.
The French Revolution began in 1789, and in 1791, the French Revolutionary Government declared all people equal.
The white people in Saint Domingue would not accept this, and the slaves rose up in revolt.
Economic reasons?
Cheap sugar from countries like Brazil and Cuba meant that slave plantations couldn’t compete.
By the 1790s, French sugar was costing 20% less than British sugar. London merchants were no longer able to make good profits from investing in Caribbean plantations.
Legal challenges?
A number of test cases seemed to show that slavery was not legal under British law.
a slave, James Somerset, had been brought to England and now refused to be taken back to the colonies against his will. The law decided that he could not be forced to return.
Actions of key individuals?
William Wiliberforce spent 20 years arguing in parliament, organising petitions and campaigning.
Olaudah Equiano wrote a book about his tie as a slave and toured Britain giving talks.
Granville Sharpe used the law to challenge whether slavery was legal in Britain - he supported a slave Jonathon Strong in a legal case against a cruel master.
Many people campaigned over a long period of time to end slavery.
The anti-slavery media campaign?
some people published posters and made public speeches against slavery where as others wrote books and poems.
Josiah Wedgwood designed an anti-slavery logo. The design appeared on his pottery, coat buttons, wax seals, and jewellery.
This was the view most of the British abolitionists took. They used stories from former slaves to build their argument on the grounds that it was wrong to enslave fellow human beings.
Religious Reason's
Many of the campaigners against the slave trade were church groups – especially Quakers and non-conformists.