Individuals in the Slave Trade


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  • Created by: Beth
  • Created on: 19-03-16 13:45
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  • Individuals in the Slave Trade
    • William Wilberforce
      • Presented bills to parliament every year from 1791
        • Bill defeated largely as a result of war with France from 1793
      • Acted as the parliamentary face for abolition
        • Based largely on information gathered from Clarkson and other researchers
          • 1787 weekly meetings with Clarkson
          • His trips onto slave ships, also
      • A devout Christian - he used this for the basis of his actions
        • Became so after a tumultuous earlier life
      • Worked with Whig and Tory parties to gain abolition
        • Was good friends with Pitt, fell out over France
        • Worked with Grenville from 1806
    • Thomas Clarkson
      • A key researcher in the abolition
        • Became dedicated to the cause after winning an essay competition on the subject
        • He prepared the groundwork for a greater movement
        • In 1790, he visited 317 ships and spoke to more than 3000 sailors
      • His work inspired prominent parliamentarians (such as William Wilberforce) to campaign for abolition
        • His work allowed a moral ground on which Wilberforce could enforce his campaign
      • It was thanks to his work that broader interest in abolishing the slave trade grew prominent
        • Despite Quaker's earlier efforts, Clarkson's work gave people a greater idea of the realities
        • He helped to found 1200 branches of the Society for Effecting the Slave Trade
      • He ensured that no details were left out; especially for Wilberforce's speeches
        • Travelled 35,000 miles in 1794 to collect evidence and deliver lectures
        • His lectures involved objects from actual slave ships, and helped to humanise slaves
    • Olaudah Equiano
      • His campaign's strength lay in experience, giving him a more powerful platform than others
        • His books and touring heightened the sense of moral outrage
        • He presented a real image of Africa and exposed the realities of the slave trade for all to see, dispelling the ignorance that had ruled prior
      • Published The 'Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano' in 1789
        • Gave a first-hand account of life as a slave, allowing people to empathise on a level greater than ever before
        • Readers realised that what they were reading was actually happening to other humans
          • People could no longer think of slavery as an abstract
      • Joined the Sons of Africa group in 1787 to work alongside British abolitionists
        • They publicised the cause through touring, and even lobbying
          • These actions dispelled the common belief that Africans were uncivilised
        • 1788 march on parliament in support of the Dolben Act (regulating number of slaves per ship)
      • He died, however, in 1797, not witnessing firsthand the abolition of the slave trade

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