Themes

• West African History
• Triangular Trade
• Middle Passage
• Slavery
• Resistance & Rebellion
• Abolition
  • Background information
• Emancipation
• Legacy
• Diaspora

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View British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society Medal

The pro-slavery and the anti-slavery campaigns

Britain went from being the most active slave-trading country at the turn of the 19th century to showing the most vehement opposition in only a few generations. Factors that pushed Britain to turn against slavery were many - economic, revolutionary, political, social, and religious. The history of abolition by the British - first of the slave trade and then of slavery - involved the campaigning efforts of key individuals and the mobilization of the masses.

The background information provides an overview of abolition and the key abolitionists and anti-abolitionists. The chronology of events leading up to the end of the British slave trade in 1807 is explained, as well as the role that women played in abolition.

Read more background information

Abolition (1)
    Students are tasked with finding out about the tactics the anti-slavery movement employed in mobilizing mass public opinion.