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This site is resourced from Mrs Fealy. (2016) Slavery. Retrieved 8/9/2016, from https://mrsfealy.wikispaces.com/Slavery

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This site is resourced from Mrs Fealy. (2016) Slavery. Retrieved 8/9/2016, from https://mrsfealy.wikispaces.com/Slavery

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ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST Slavery was embedded in the economic and financial life of Great Britain and Europe. Through slavery, many made enormous fortunes. The profits made through the triangular trade route were often spent on investment in the new machines and factories, as this page explains. Thus the rich and powerful were very resistant to any change. However, this did not stop the growing number of voices who protested about slavery and sought to have it abolished. In the mid 18th century a small handful of christians lobbied for an end to slavery and were easily defeated. But years of organised campaigning eventually saw hundreds of thousands of British citizens join the call for an end to the slave trade. Significant rebellions in the Carribean by slaves, also caused unrest. The bill to end slavery was passed in 1807. Further campaigning also led to the freedom for slaves across the British Empire, when a Bill to ban all slavery was passed in 1833.

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ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST Slavery was embedded in the economic and financial life of Great Britain and Europe. Through slavery, many made enormous fortunes. The profits made through the triangular trade route were often spent on investment in the new machines and factories, as this page explains. Thus the rich and powerful were very resistant to any change. However, this did not stop the growing number of voices who protested about slavery and sought to have it abolished. In the mid 18th century a small handful of christians lobbied for an end to slavery and were easily defeated. But years of organised campaigning eventually saw hundreds of thousands of British citizens join the call for an end to the slave trade. Significant rebellions in the Carribean by slaves, also caused unrest. The bill to end slavery was passed in 1807. Further campaigning also led to the freedom for slaves across the British Empire, when a Bill to ban all slavery was passed in 1833.

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For more than 200 years Britain was at the heart of a lucrative transatlantic trade in millions of enslaved Africans. But by 1807 the practice had been banned. How did this happen?

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Arguments to Justify Slavery

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BBC - Ethics - Slavery: Attempts to justify slavery

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A number of arguments have been put forward to try and justify slavery. None of them would find much favour today, but at various times in history many people found some of these arguments entirely reasonable.

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The Importance of
Slavery to Britain

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The British economy was transformed by the Atlantic slave trade. In 1700, 80 per cent of British trade went to Europe from ports on the east and south coasts.

By 1800, 60 per cent of British trade went to Africa and America, sailing from the three main west coast ports - Glasgow, Liverpool and Bristol.

Ports such as London, Bristol and Liverpool prospered as a direct result of involvement in the slave trade. Other ports, such as Glasgow, profited from the tobacco trade. Thousands of jobs were created in Britain supplying goods and services to slave traders.

In a period that saw Britain industrialise, profits could be made by exporting manufactured British goods to Africa and then further profits accrued from imported slave products such as sugar, which became very fashionable with the British people.

The slave trade was important in the development of the wider economy - financial, commercial, legal and insurance institutions all emerged to support the activities of the slave trade. Some merchants became bankers and many new businesses were financed by profits made from slave-trading.

The slave trade played an important role in providing British industry with access to raw materials. This contributed to the increased production of manufactured goods.

The graphic below shows the parts of Britain's economy that benefited from the slave trade.

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BBC Bitesize - Higher History - Importance of the slave trade to the British economy - Revision 1

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The British economy was transformed by the Atlantic slave trade. In 1700, 80 per cent of British trade went to Europe from ports on the east and south coasts. By 1800, 60 per cent of British trade went to Africa and America, sailing from the three main west coast ports - Glasgow, Liverpool and Bristol.

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For more information on counter-intuitive facts of the slave auction, along with ancient, medieval, and modern history, see Anthony Esolen's The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization.
Once in the Americas, slaves were sold, by auction, to the person that bid the most money for them. It was here that family members would find themselves split up, as a bidder may not want to buy the whole family, only the strongest, healthiest member.

Slave Auctions were advertised when it was known that a slave ship was due to arrive. Posters like the one pictured above would be displayed around the town.

When the slave ship docked, the slaves would be taken off the ship and placed in a pen like this one. There they would be washed and their skin covered with grease, or sometimes tar, to make them look more healthy. This was done so that they would fetch as much money as possible. They would also be branded with a hot iron to identify them as slaves.
There were two main types of slave Auction: 1. Those that sold to the highest bidder 2. Grab and go Auctions "Sold! to the highest bidder"
The slaves would be brought from the pen, in turn, to stand on a raised platform so that they could be seen by the buyers. Before the bidding began, those that wished to, could come up onto the platform to inspect the slaves closely. The slaves had to endure being poked, prodded and forced to open their mouths for the buyers.

The auctioneer would decide a price to start the bidding. This would be higher for fit, young slaves and lower for older, very young or sickly slaves. Potential buyers would then bid against each other. The person who bid the most would then own that slave. The picture below shows a slave being auctioned to the highest bidder.

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Black Peoples of America - The Slave Auction - History

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For more information on counter-intuitive facts of the slave auction, along with ancient, medieval, and modern history, see Anthony Esolen's The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization. Once in the Americas, slaves were sold, by auction, to the person that bid the most money for them.

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Stories of Slavery

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Anti-Slavery International has digitised its collection of 18th and 19th century literature on the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Recovered Histories captures the narratives of the enslaved, enslavers, slave ship surgeons, abolitionists, parliamentarians, clergy, planters and rebels. Use the themed narratives as starting points or"Search Collection" to explore over 40,000 pages in the collection.

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The Atlantic slave trade: What too few textbooks told you - Anthony Hazard

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Triangle Trade Explained.

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Transatlantic Slave Trade

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Moovie Productions' worked on a series of workshops about the transatlantic slave trade.

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John Green's Crash Course

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The Atlantic Slave Trade: Crash Course World History #24

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Great Britain's textile industry was booming, and the demand for cotton for the new machines grew rapidly. Remember, Britain had an Empire, consisting of colonies around the world, from Africa to Asia. Wealthy colonists soon saw the riches that could be gained creating cotton plantations in places like the Americas and the West Indies. Wealthy members of the new middle classes and upper classes also craved new products like coffee, sugar, chocolate and tobacco. These needed warm climates to grow - and the British Empire had control of some warm places!  Next, vast numbers of workers were needed. Europe had for many years been taking people by force from places in Africa and the West Indies. This trade now grew.Many merchants, traders, bankers and business men and their families made enormous wealth through this, and often lived in luxury. We know the lives of many white workers - including children - were very hard; the lives of slaves were arguably worse.

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Great Britain's textile industry was booming, and the demand for cotton for the new machines grew rapidly. Remember, Britain had an Empire, consisting of colonies around the world, from Africa to Asia. Wealthy colonists soon saw the riches that could be gained creating cotton plantations in places like the Americas and the West Indies. Wealthy members of the new middle classes and upper classes also craved new products like coffee, sugar, chocolate and tobacco. These needed warm climates to grow - and the British Empire had control of some warm places!  Next, vast numbers of workers were needed. Europe had for many years been taking people by force from places in Africa and the West Indies. This trade now grew.Many merchants, traders, bankers and business men and their families made enormous wealth through this, and often lived in luxury. We know the lives of many white workers - including children - were very hard; the lives of slaves were arguably worse.