Arthur

Arthur

What Was The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade?
The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade was a time when African tribesmen were sold by their tribal leaders to slave traders in return for products such as guns, beads, and carvings. The slaves were then taken to America and sold on plantations in return for rum and raw sugar. After this, the ram and raw sugar were transported to England, and the cycle would start again, forming a triangle.

Why Was Slavery Abolished?
Slavery was abolished for many reasons. Some of these reasons were:

Slavery Was Not Making As Much Money

In the 17 hundreds sugar was very expencive. However, since the plantation owners made the slaves produce it at large amounts, the price was driven down. This meant that the plantation owners weren't making a profit and so the platations were closed down. This is shown by the fact that in 1771 there were 2728 slaves imported. The following year there weren't any slaves imported. Also, some people believed that if the slaves were paid then they would work harder because they had an incentive. Many slaves were running away from their owners. If the slave was caught then the slave would go to court claiming its freedom. As it was unclear whether slavery was illegal or not, the decision in the court often differed. More and more slaves were being set free. As time went on, owners were losing more money from the slaves taking them to court. As a result, owners often didn't bother looking for slaves that had ran away.

Slaves Were Revolting

In 1791, Slaves on the French colony of St. Dominique revolted, killing the owners and setting the plantations on fire. Led by a inspirational slave, they managed to keep the island for themselves from both French and British soldiers. In 1804, the island was declared independent and renamed Haiti. These events led to multiple plantation owners being terrified that their plantations would be burnt down. Also, the argument that Africans were inferior to Europeans was proven wrong by the rebellion on Haiti. Even though there was no law that said slavery was legal, there was also no law saying that slavery was illegal. Many slaves went to court to claim their freedom. Many judges were impressed by their arguments and allowed slaves to be free.

Non-Slaves Were Protesting Against Slavery

Some people who were not slaves were protesting against slavery. Some founded anti-slavery societies. Some helped to defend slaves in courts. Others gave speeches to the government against slavery. Because of this, many slaves were freed and were given equal rights to white people. One man called Wilberforce protested for slaves rights to the parliament. He formed a society with lots of other devout christians who believed that slavery was against the will of Jesus. Another member called Thomas Clarkson, who collected evidence against the slave trade. This group used this evidence to create huge pensions from the public.