A ‘sugar nipper’ was used in the 18th century to cut off small pieces of sugar from large sugar loaves. Britain had become very dependent on sugar, particularly for sweetening tea but the sugar trade was made possible by slave labour on plantations in the Caribbean. Some of the most inhuman treatment experienced by enslaved people took place on these plantations. One of the main tasks of the abolition movement was to make the public aware of this cruelty. By boycotting certain plantation-produced goods such as sugar people across Britain showed their support for abolition and challenged the slave labour system.

Consumer boycotts were very important in the campaign to end slavery. The abolition movement proved that people could have an impact on world events by being active in their own towns.