The Slave Trade and Abolition

The transatlantic slave trade was one of the largest forced migrations in human history. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, approximately 12 million Africans were transported across the Atlantic to work as enslaved labourers in the Americas. Britain played a central role in this trade, and its abolition was the result of a long and bitterly contested campaign.

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The Triangular Trade

The slave trade operated as a triangular trade connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Leg	Route	Cargo
Outward passage	Britain to West Africa	Manufactured goods: textiles, guns, alcohol, metal tools
Middle Passage	West Africa to the Americas	Enslaved Africans
Return passage	Americas to Britain	Plantation products: sugar, tobacco, cotton, rum

The Middle Passage

The Middle Passage was the most horrific part of the trade.

Condition	Detail
Overcrowding	Enslaved people were packed into ships so tightly they could barely move; some ships carried over 600 people
Disease	Dysentery, smallpox, and other diseases spread rapidly in the filthy conditions below deck
Mortality	An estimated 15--20% of enslaved Africans died during the crossing
Duration	The voyage took 6--8 weeks
Violence	Enslaved people who resisted were beaten, tortured, or thrown overboard

Key Term: Middle Passage --- the voyage across the Atlantic Ocean from West Africa to the Americas, during which millions of enslaved Africans endured appalling conditions. It is called the "middle" passage because it was the second leg of the triangular trade.

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Britain's Role in the Slave Trade

Britain became the world's leading slave-trading nation by the mid-18th century.

Fact	Detail
Scale	Britain transported approximately 3.4 million enslaved Africans between the 16th and 19th centuries
Key ports	Liverpool, Bristol, and London were the main slave-trading ports
Profits	The slave trade generated enormous wealth for merchants, shipbuilders, insurers, and investors
Plantations	British-owned plantations in the Caribbean (Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua) and North America relied on enslaved labour to produce sugar, tobacco, and cotton
Economic impact	Profits from the slave trade and plantations helped fund the Industrial Revolution (factories, railways, banks)

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Life on the Plantations

Feature	Detail
Labour	Enslaved people worked up to 18 hours a day in fields, sugar mills, and domestic service
Punishment	Whipping, branding, mutilation, and execution were used to maintain control
Family separation	Enslaved people could be sold at any time, separating families permanently
Resistance	Enslaved people resisted in many ways: running away (maroon communities), sabotage, work slowdowns, and rebellion
Slave codes	Laws denied enslaved people any legal rights; they were classified as property, not people

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The Campaign for Abolition

The abolition of the slave trade was achieved through a combination of moral argument, political campaigning, enslaved people's resistance, and economic change.

Key Abolitionists

Person	Role
Granville Sharp	Lawyer who fought for the rights of enslaved people in Britain; helped win the Somerset Case (1772), which ruled that enslaved people could not be forcibly removed from England
Thomas Clarkson	Tireless campaigner who gathered evidence of the horrors of the slave trade, including the famous diagram of the slave ship Brookes
William Wilberforce	MP who led the parliamentary campaign for abolition; introduced abolition bills almost every year from 1789
Olaudah Equiano	A formerly enslaved man who published his autobiography (The Interesting Narrative, 1789), providing a powerful first-hand account of the slave trade
Mary Prince	An enslaved woman whose autobiography (The History of Mary Prince, 1831) was the first account of enslavement published by a Black woman in Britain

Methods of Campaigning

Method	Detail
Petitions	Hundreds of thousands signed petitions to Parliament; in 1792, a petition with 519 signatures came from Manchester alone (then a city of 75,000)
Sugar boycotts	An estimated 300,000--400,000 people boycotted sugar produced by enslaved labour
Publications	Books, pamphlets, and images (e.g. the Wedgwood anti-slavery medallion: "Am I Not a Man and a Brother?")
Parliamentary lobbying	Wilberforce and his allies made the case for abolition in the House of Commons year after year

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Resistance by Enslaved People

The abolition campaign in Britain was supported by resistance from enslaved people themselves.

Rebellion	Date	Detail
Tacky's Rebellion	1760	A major uprising in Jamaica
Haitian Revolution	1791--1804	Enslaved people in Saint-Domingue (Haiti) overthrew French colonial rule and established the first Black republic
Baptist War (Sam Sharpe's Rebellion)	1831--32	A major rebellion in Jamaica led by Sam Sharpe, an enslaved Baptist deacon; the brutal suppression shocked public opinion in Britain and accelerated abolition

Exam Tip: The role of enslaved people's resistance is sometimes overlooked in exam answers. The strongest responses recognise that abolition was not just a campaign by white British abolitionists --- it was also driven by the actions and agency of enslaved people themselves.

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Key Legislation

Date	Legislation	Detail
1807	Abolition of the Slave Trade Act	Made it illegal to buy or sell enslaved people in the British Empire (but did not free those already enslaved)
1833	Slavery Abolition Act	Abolished slavery throughout the British Empire (effective from 1 August 1834)
Compensation	The British government paid £20 million (approximately £17 billion in today's money) in compensation --- to the slave owners, not the enslaved people
Apprenticeship	Formerly enslaved people were forced to work as unpaid "apprentices" for their former owners for up to six years; the system was abolished in 1838 after further campaigning

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Key Dates

Date	Event
1562	Hawkins' first slave-trading voyage
1772	Somerset Case
1787	Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade founded
1789	Equiano publishes his autobiography
1807	Slave Trade abolished
1833	Slavery Abolition Act
1838	Apprenticeship system ended

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Extended Worked Paragraph: Q4 "Main Factor" Question

Specimen question: "The main factor causing the abolition of the slave trade in 1807 was the campaigning of individuals." How far do you agree? Explain your answer with reference to individuals and other factors. [16 marks + 4 SPaG]