Why_Was_Slavery_Abolished

Why was Slavery Finally Abolished' The slave trade was abolished in Britain in 1807. However it wasn’t until 1833 that slavery became illegal in the British Empire. There were many factors that caused Slavery to finally be abolished. The most important was the actions of the black people. However, there were other reasons linked to the final abolishment of slavery. The black people would strike for change and would compare themselves to the white maids. Black slaves in Britain began to demand to be treated like ordinary servants. Black slaves demanded higher wages, and refused to be kept as slaves. Many ran away, making it difficult for their master to retrieve them, because the British courts often ruled against the masters. Slavery was not legal in Britain as it was in the colonies. The abolishment of slavery brought many benefits to Britain. First, slave trade brought in imports such as sugar and coffee. This changed peoples drinking habits and helped expand the sale of coffee. Slaves picked raw materials such as cotton and sugar cane. These materials were vital to the expansion of British industries. The expansion of the British industries helped to create more jobs. This meant that more British products were being produced which could be sold abroad. Huge profits made from the slave trade funded new inventions and industries in Britain. The slave trade benefitted many people. Secondly, the ship owners who sold the slaves made huge profits (around 5000) off the industry owners who bought the slaves. The factory owners in Britain had access to cheap raw material for their industries and found even cheaper new materials. In 1770, 1/3 of all textiles were exported to Africa, and sold to the West Indies. Plantation owners benefited as they paid no wages to their workers. In 1780 the West Indies supplied 2/3 of the cotton imported into Britain. Ordinary people were able to buy products, and materials produced by slaves. Hand picked cotton, coffee, and sugar were among the leading products sold to manufacturers. Around 18000 British workers; men women and children, depended on the slave trade. Many powerful people also benefited financially. Gladstone reaped huge profits from the slave trade. This allowed him to buy land and support his family. Many people believed slavery was justifiable racism. Racism refers to someone who discriminates against others on the basis of their ethnic background. It also refers to stereotyping, which means to hold views of an individual that may not necessarily be true. All of these factors made it difficult to abolish slavery and meant that it would be a long slow process. However, slavery was finally abolished due to a number of factors. There was the famous case of the Zong, highlighted black peoples’ actions. Callingwood violated human vigilantes. He murdered 133 slaves, for no reason other than profit. He treated slaves as if they were animals and packed them tightly in already over crowed ships for transport. The conditions were so terrible that they could not even use the bath room unless it was on the floor. Slaves were not properly treated or cared for. Many died of dysentery and poor health. Slaves were beaten and by force taken from their homes in the name of profit. Olaujan Equliano was a self educated slave who bought his own freedom and returned to England where he married Mary Susan Cullan. His life story published in 1789 touches on public opinion against slavery. He takes the love of the abolitionist case of the Zong ship to the murders attention. He proved that Africans were not inferior to European people. Jonathan Strong was a middle class man who helped slaves wins their freedom in Britain. He set important precedents in law and started a campaign against slavery. A Quaker formed a pressure groups to abolish slave trade. He collected huge petitions for Parliament in 1807. Along with Thomas Clarkston this Quaker contributed his life to the cause of abolishing slavery. The British working class sympathized with slaves and felt that African exploitation was wrong. People believed that owning and selling another person was against the Christian faith and morally wrong. Petitions flowed into Parliament after 1788. Huge meetings were held even after 1807. During the years 1814 - 1815, 1500,000 people signed petitions making Parliament feel worried. Finally the economics changed and by the late 1780’s the West Indies were less important to Britain. The coast of financing plantations and putting down rebellions were huge factors influencing the British government. Cuba and Brazil produced cheaper sugar so many plantations closed in the West Indies, which meant there was less need for slaves. Italy proved that free people work harder than enslaved people. India was increasingly becoming more important in securing cotton and spices for the United Kingdom (U.K.). Thus, the issue of slavery had become a contentious and much debated issue by the early nineteenth century. The government begins the abolishment process as early as 1807 and finally by 1833 slavery is abolished. One cannot but fail to see the fact that both the people’s actions and support of their fellow mankind were two factors that played a huge role in ending slavery. The people, finally agreeing that mankind cannot continue in such a manner realized that men are created equally and should be treated as such