The Abolition of the British Slave Trade
The Driving Forces Leading to the Banishment of Britain’s Participation in the Slave Trade in 1807
British society in the 18th century witnessed a strong abolitionist movement that demanded support and public attention. People began to see slaves as more than objects to be bought and sold and found immorality within slave plantations and slave trades. This movement ultimately resulted in the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 1806 and 1807, which banned British ships from participating in the slave trade. There were many contributing factors and driving forces, which caused Britain to disengage ships from the British slave trade including the emergence of the Enlightenment, which elicited a humanitarian conscience into British culture. In addition, religious groups such as the Quakers and the Evangelical Christians gained considerable political and social power while promoting values of antislavery. The introduction of antislavery propaganda also encouraged the public to participate in the social movement. Furthermore the presence of international events highlighted the many problems of the slave trade. Lastly, economic shifts questioned the necessity of the slave trade.
The emergence of the Enlightenment in the mid eighteen hundreds introduced optimistic beliefs towards the development of science, tolerance, education, and social structure. The Enlightenment, which called for a rational way of dealing with human conflicts, introduced a new social philosophy into the British public. During the Age of Reason, a spirit of skepticism challenged previous traditions and long-held beliefs. Philosophical thinkers such as Montesquieu introduced a humanitarian conscience to the public through many public works. One of the first written attacks directed against the slave trade was called L’Esprit des Lois, which was an “oblique attack on slavery and the slave trade.” In this book, Monetesquieu wrote, “Where it is of the utmost importance that human nature should not
British society in the 18th century witnessed a strong abolitionist movement that demanded support and public attention. People began to see slaves as more than objects to be bought and sold and found immorality within slave plantations and slave trades. This movement ultimately resulted in the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 1806 and 1807, which banned British ships from participating in the slave trade. There were many contributing factors and driving forces, which caused Britain to disengage ships from the British slave trade including the emergence of the Enlightenment, which elicited a humanitarian conscience into British culture. In addition, religious groups such as the Quakers and the Evangelical Christians gained considerable political and social power while promoting values of antislavery. The introduction of antislavery propaganda also encouraged the public to participate in the social movement. Furthermore the presence of international events highlighted the many problems of the slave trade. Lastly, economic shifts questioned the necessity of the slave trade.
The emergence of the Enlightenment in the mid eighteen hundreds introduced optimistic beliefs towards the development of science, tolerance, education, and social structure. The Enlightenment, which called for a rational way of dealing with human conflicts, introduced a new social philosophy into the British public. During the Age of Reason, a spirit of skepticism challenged previous traditions and long-held beliefs. Philosophical thinkers such as Montesquieu introduced a humanitarian conscience to the public through many public works. One of the first written attacks directed against the slave trade was called L’Esprit des Lois, which was an “oblique attack on slavery and the slave trade.” In this book, Monetesquieu wrote, “Where it is of the utmost importance that human nature should not
Bibliography: Kenneth Morgan, Slavery and the British Empire, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007) David Davis, The Problem of Slavery in the Age of Revolution R.R. Palmer, Joel Colton, Lloyd Kramer, A History of the Modern World 10th edition (Mcgraw Hill, 2007) Robin Blackburn, The Overthrow of Colonial Slavery Charles de Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989) -------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. Kenneth Morgan, Slavery and the British Empire. From Africa to America (Norfolk: Oxford, 2007), 59 [ 2 ] [ 3 ]. Charles de Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989) [ 4 ] [ 20 ]. Robin Blackburn, The Overthrow of Colonial Slavery 1776-1848 (London: Verso: 1988), 100 [ 21 ] [ 24 ]. David Brion Davis, The Problem of Slavery in the Age of the Revolution, 1770-1823 (Ithaca, Cornell University Press, 1975), 155 [ 25 ]