What did being an activist mean during the fight against slavery and what does it mean today?

Generally, activists are people who take an interest in the events around them and want to make the world a better and fairer place. They use all sorts of ideas and campaigns to promote their messages such as: asking people to sign petitions, or asking people to wear a ribbon, badge or wristband (like Make Poverty History). Activists often campaign together such as: writing to a Member of Parliament (MP) or going on a demonstration.

So what has modern activism got to do with the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade? The abolition movement was the first time in Britain that hundreds of thousands of different people joined together for a common cause. This was achieved by developing many of the campaign styles that are familiar to us today. Even though modern technology has changed the ways we campaign (such as sending emails instead of writing letters) the ideas behind these methods come from this time in history.

This section gives you information about how the abolition movement proved that every single person in British society had the power to help end the transatlantic slave trade.