Abolition of the British Slave Trade
The Abolition of the British Slave Trade
“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.” (Good Reads. ND) This statement made by politician and rights activist William Wilberforce summarises his strong view on the British slave trade suggesting that other members of Parliament simply ignored the human rights issue despite their knowledge of this. The abolition of the slave trade in the United Kingdom, 1807 and the events leading up to the abolition directly affected the rights and freedoms by granting slaves more rights and privileges. Despite the British Parliament’s reluctance to pass the bill that would abolish the slave trade, several key groups and individuals were significant and instrumental in the abolition of the slave trade. William Wilberforce’s dedication to the abolition of the slave trade and his influential young attitude greatly contributed to the abolition of the slave trade. In Addition, women affected the trade by drawing attention to the injustices of slavery.
Although there was much support for the abolition of the slave trade, there were several factions of Parliament that affected the trade and the period of time taken to pass the abolition bill. The House of Lord had stalled the act so that they could make their own inquiry. When the motion was presented in parliamentary sessions, the bill would only lose by narrow margins due to supporters leaving the chamber part way through the hearing (Driving Change Through Parliament, 2011). MP and lifelong abolitionist Stephan Lushington was quotes in an article written on BBC History stated that he, “Was greatly surprised to hear opponents of this bill enter cold calculations of loss and gain; for his part, he could never stop to balance imports and exports against justice and humanities” (Driving Change Through Parliament, 2011). This shows how Parliament did not necessarily care about the well being of the people being sold in the slave trade; they
“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.” (Good Reads. ND) This statement made by politician and rights activist William Wilberforce summarises his strong view on the British slave trade suggesting that other members of Parliament simply ignored the human rights issue despite their knowledge of this. The abolition of the slave trade in the United Kingdom, 1807 and the events leading up to the abolition directly affected the rights and freedoms by granting slaves more rights and privileges. Despite the British Parliament’s reluctance to pass the bill that would abolish the slave trade, several key groups and individuals were significant and instrumental in the abolition of the slave trade. William Wilberforce’s dedication to the abolition of the slave trade and his influential young attitude greatly contributed to the abolition of the slave trade. In Addition, women affected the trade by drawing attention to the injustices of slavery.
Although there was much support for the abolition of the slave trade, there were several factions of Parliament that affected the trade and the period of time taken to pass the abolition bill. The House of Lord had stalled the act so that they could make their own inquiry. When the motion was presented in parliamentary sessions, the bill would only lose by narrow margins due to supporters leaving the chamber part way through the hearing (Driving Change Through Parliament, 2011). MP and lifelong abolitionist Stephan Lushington was quotes in an article written on BBC History stated that he, “Was greatly surprised to hear opponents of this bill enter cold calculations of loss and gain; for his part, he could never stop to balance imports and exports against justice and humanities” (Driving Change Through Parliament, 2011). This shows how Parliament did not necessarily care about the well being of the people being sold in the slave trade; they
References: BBC History (2012). William Wilberforce (1759 – 1833). Retrieved October 14 2012, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/wilberforce_william.shtml Crawford, E Farrell, S. (2011). Driving Change Through Parliament. Retrieved October 14 2012, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history.british/abolition/parliament_article_01.shtml Hochschild, A. (2011). William Wilberforce: The Real Abolitionist? Retrieved October 14 2012, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/abolition/william_wilberforce_article_01.shtml National Archives (2012) Parliament.uk (2012). The First Parliamentary Debates. Retrieved November 2 2012, http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/tradeindustry/slavetrade/overview/the-first-parliamentary-debates/ Parliament.uk (2012) Princeton (2012). Title. Retrieved October 14 2012, http://libguides.princeton.du/content.php?pid=13681&sid-98831 Wilberforce, W Wilberforce, W. (1807). Letter on the abolition of the slave trade: Addressed to the Freeholders and inhabitants of Yorkshire. London: Luke Hansard & Sons. Wollstonecraft, M. (1792). Vindication of the Rights of Women. Boston: Peter Edes.