Growth of Humanitarianism for the end of the Slave trade

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  • Growth of Humanitarianism
    • The Enlightenment
      • Enlightenment concerns about human welfare began to filter into society
      • 18th Century
      • Growth in rational thought
        • Questions raised over legitimacy of absolutism
          • All men by virtue of being human are fundamentally the same
    • 1739 - First Founding Hospital took care of abandoned children
      • Pushed middle class people to have sympathy for those who couldn't care for themselves
    • The Quakers
      • Had a long history of humanitarianism
        • 1770s their interest shifted to the slave tradde
      • Everyone was equal before God
      • Motivated by the belief that God lived within everyone
      • Opposed slavery since 1657
      • Suffering was being ignored by the public
      • Addressed the lack of concern for human rights
      • Well organised
        • Allowed them to challenge the practice of slavery in Britain
      • Created the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade
    • Evangelical Christians
      • Believed in the strength of repentance as means of salvation
        • Promoted importance of turning away from sin
        • Saw the slave trade as a sinful practice that should be stopped
        • Formed the bedrock for their opposition to the slave trade
      • Granville Sharp and Thomas Clarkson
        • Opposed the moral outrage and inhumanity of the slave trade
        • Sharpe was a veteran campaigner against the slave trade
        • Clarkson was converted after researching the trade for an essay
      • Practised in public speaking
      • Created the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade
    • Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade
      • 1787
      • Formed by Evangelicals and Quakers
      • Unrivalled as a lobby group
      • Made up of reformers with strong religious backgrounds
      • Applied political pressure on the government
    • Arguments in favour of humanitarianism
      • 1796 - a slave trade bill was almost passed despite sugar boom
      • People were embarrassed to be associated with such an inhumane trade
      • 24% of Britain's income came from the trade
        • Can't have ended for economic reasons
      • Humanitarian campaigners
        • Equiano
        • Sharpe
        • Clarkson

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