What Role Did Ordinary Brits Play in the Abolition of Slavery?

Article by Josephine Vincent. Edited and researched by Liam Brake

Many readers may be aware of the facts and figures regarding the abolition of the slave trade; it was prohibited to British citizens in 1807, and was made illegal throughout the British Empire in May 1833. Moreover, not enough readers are aware of the fundamental role ordinary Britons, from every social strata and every geographical region, played in orchestrating this abolition. The abolitionist movement was the first grass-root human rights campaign in British history with hundreds of thousands of Brits mobilised to bring an end this malignant institution. 

The general consensus among historians is that the abolitionist movement began in the 1780s through the work of Christian Quakers establishing antislavery committees. These Quaker groups should also be given credit for first utilising the tactic of placing direct pressure on Parliament; a pioneering tactic at the time which proved to be crucial. Motivated purely by the belief that slavery contradicted the fundamental notion of Quakerism, every human being is equal, Quaker groups appealed to the collective consciousness of the British elite. William Dillwyn and John Lloyd, both antislavery committee members presented “The Case For Our Fellow Creatures, the Oppressed African” in December 1783 which highlighted the nightmarish conditions endured by slaves on slave ships. As many as 600 slaves were crammed onto ships so crowded that many were unable to sit down for an entire voyage. The presentation was distributed to every Member of Parliament and the Royal Family which did much to engender an early change of attitudes towards slavery by those who held influence. 

These initial efforts paved the way for the Society for Effecting the Abolition of Slavery in 1787. It was this group that transformed the movement from individual peace-meal efforts into a dedicated nationwide campaign. With numerous Quaker and Anglican groups uniting under a common goal of abolition community action became utilised like never before provoking local antislavery chapters to spring up in every single British county. Pioneering lobbying techniques against Parliament was the groups’ weapon of choice with over 100 petitions sent to Parliament 1788, and 519 in 1792, which constituted the government’s largest annual petition rate in history. 

What factors led to the unprecedented level of success in garnering such fervent nationwide support? 

Firstly, it was the continued work of Quaker groups providing financial support behind the scenes and utilising their wide networks of contacts to spur on local activism thus providing a solid backbone to the movement. Secondly, information detailing the horrors of slavery became available in the public domain like never before. In 1783 the Society of Friends distributed pamphlets nationwide detailing the horrendous conditions of slave ships and plantations. The aforementioned society also corresponded with antislavery activists worldwide translating books written by former slaves into English and distributing them nationwide. This new availability of first and second-hand accounts of the reality of slavery did much to sway the tide of public opinion against it. 

Thirdly, the abolitionist movement would never have progressed without the unwavering conviction and dedication of several key abolitionist movement leaders. William Wilberforce (1759-1833) is our most well-known example, an Evangelical minister motivated by his desire to put his Christian principles into action. Wilberforce led the campaign from the Commons and was a staunch believer in changing the hearts and minds of governing bodies. He continuously introduced new bills, in the middling years of 1807-1833, only to have them continuously rejected by those with West Indian plantation interests, who had as many as 25-40 MPs in Parliament at any time during this period. An equally invaluable abolitionist leader was Thomas Clarkson (described by Samuel Coleridge as a “moral steam engine”) who undertook invaluable behind the scenes work, including collecting every possible source of evidence to back up abolitionist claims, organising committees and providing encouragement to hundreds of grassroots activists. The campaign was also made memorable through Josiah Wedgewood’s design of its logo; a kneeling slave embellished with the words “Am I Not Also a Man and a Brother?” women also wore a female version in the form of brooches and necklaces. 

Furthermore, the vital role women played in the abolitionist movement cannot be understated. Despite their disenfranchisement at the time, women were able to claim voice on the issue due to their perceived moral role in society. Utilising a distinctively female approach, many women wrote antislavery poems, such as Amelia Opie’s “The Negro Boy’s Tale”. Mary Wollstonecraft compared slavery with women’s subjugation, “is one half of the human species, like the poor African slaves, to be subject to prejudices that brutalise them… only to sweeten the cup of men.” This last reference is to the slave-grown sugar industry, which was still making huge profits at the time of abolition. This gave women, as its primary purchasers, the power to bring the industry down by withholding their spending power and boycotting slave grown sugar. More than 300,000 women joined the sugar boycott in the 1790s. 

In 2012, nearly 200 years after the abolition of slavery, I believe the actions of the abolitionists are still just as influential and relevant today. Their actions give us all a shining moral example, and teach us that we should never be complacent about injustices we see around the world; we all have the power to change the world for the better. 

Additional Research 

Abolition of Slavery Act 1833: 

• Slavery was officially abolished in most of the British Empire on 1 August 1834. 

• Realistically only slaves below the age of six were freed in the colonies; all former slaves over the age of six were re-designated as apprentices. 

• Full emancipation for all was legally granted ahead of schedule on 1 August 1838. 

• The Act also included the right of compensation for slave-owners who would be losing their property.

• One notable: the Act did not extend to any of the Territories in the Possession of the East India Company, or to the Island of Ceylon, or to the Island of Saint Helena.

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