How, and why, the British Empire Abolished Slavery

The Abolition of Slavery in the British Empire

The British Empire is often hailed as an entirely benevolent force in the national, and global, abolition of slavery. Yet the truth of the matter is far more complex. A combination of political pressure from established abolitionist movements and revolutionary developments in the Empire and other countries plagued by slavery swayed Parliament’s hand. Economic developments intertwined with the Industrial Revolution meant the necessity for slavery was in decline, and this inevitably vindicated the arguments of abolitionists. The process of abolition was messy, and required mass tools of persuasion behind it, which dominates debate surrounding the extent of the Empire’s goodwill, and is the foundation of abolition’s impact on Britain’s near and distant future.

By the 1790s, it is estimated that 430,000 slaves were locked in the bondage of chattel slavery under the purview of the British Empire, and this was to be the bedrock of the abolitionist argument. The case of Jonathan Strong, led by early abolitionist Granville Sharp brought legal challenges to the Empire’s practice in slavery in 1765. Strong was thrown out of his place of bondage, and subsequently jailed for the crime of ‘escaping’. He was later sold to another master, and Sharpe sought legal challenges. It was found that Strong was jailed for no legal reason, kickstarting the abolitionist movement. It cemented abolition as a genuine movement, and thrusted forward political pressure to end the practice of slavery in the Empire. Incremental change prevailed in 1772, when it was ruled that enslaved people in Britain could not be forced to return to the West Indies, setting in motion the gradual process of abolition, and proving to be a landmark victory for the abolitionist movement. In 1783, Quakers in Britain formed a committee against the slave trade, and The Society for Effecting the Abolition of the African Slave Trade was established in 1787. The movement appeared to be on an upward trajectory, and had seen major gains since the case of Jonathan Strong. William Wilberforce, the face of anti-slavery, unleashed 12 motions to parliament condemning slavery. Political pressure to emancipate the enslaved had reached an apex, and forced the hand of legislators in Britain

The rebellious tendencies of slaves undoubtedly influenced the government’s decision to abolish slavery. It heightened tensions between established slavers and the tyrannised slaves. In 1730, the First Maroon War culminated in a victory for several groups of escapees in Jamaica, and they were declared free in 1739. Rebellions in Jamaica in 1760 erupted again, at a cost of close to £250,000, around £26m today. The repressive nature of chattel slavery, and its evident inevitability of rebellion showed that, ultimately, slavery was a cost to the taxpayer and inherently threatened the stability of the colonies. Considering the political climate at the time, retention of empire was a bare necessity, and absolutely came before upholding the institution of slavery. In 1804, the Republic of Haiti was declared as a sovereign state from France, after a bitter, costly, and destructive battle with its oppressive colonists. Multiple vastly significant rebellions showed that upholding slavery was far too bad for business, and global power and influence, to be worth upholding at all costs, which undoubtedly influenced and swayed the government in its decision to abolish the slave trade; Parliament chose to protect the Kingdom.

Economic developments clearly had an impact on the argument for abolition. Adam Smith argued for wage labour and its efficiency. He stated that slaves have no incentive to hold property or gain profit, so are inherently inefficient. As the industrial revolution spread, Smith’s free market principles became far more widespread, with the establishment and growth of the capitalist class. Such a quest for economic efficiency, which is inevitably in a government’s best interests, further vindicated the arguments of the abolitionists; if slavery was morally, politically, and now economically reprehensible, then why maintain it? The new industrial class also wanted to display to their workers their freedom compared to the bondage of the workers of the West Indies. With the ulterior motive of preventing strikes and dissenting workers, the capitalist class went on a tirade against slavery, and add to the political pressure for purely economic reasons. The growth of the global capitalist class and the increasing requirement to meet their economic needs, and the economic needs of the nation, ultimately necessitated the abolition of slavery in Britain.

At the climax of political and economic pressure mounting on Parliament, the Slave Trade Act 1807 was passed. Following a rejected abolition bill in 1790, the bill issued fines to those who still participated in the slave trade. The bill was rather watered down, with the disincentive of fines being far too weak to genuinely deter slavers from practicing in such a lucrative industry. It failed to outlaw the bondage so many Africans found themselves in, it simply made illegal the trade in humans. The Slave Trade Felony Act 1811 made trading in slaves a felony, thus deterring trafficking much more effectively. The Royal Navy freed 150,000 Africans destined for bondage between 1808 and 1860 – the institutions of state were finally taking seriously the new crime of trading in slaves, even if change was incremental. Progress was more dramatic in the banning of chattel slavery in the British Empire. In 1833, 800,000 slaves were to be freed, commencing on the 1^st of August 1834 under the terms of the Slavery Abolition Act 1833. The act failed to include the territories ‘in the possession of the East India Company, or Ceylon, or St. Helena.’ This was amended in 1843.

Overall, the impact of the abolition of slavery was vast. 800,000 slaves now had their freedom and regained their basic natural rights; i.e., the right to life, property, etc. Although change was slow, it showed the prevalence of the capitalist class, and their societal overtaking of landowners as the main stakeholder in Britain. The legislation came at a cost of £20m to the taxpayer, which has been continuously paid since the act, to fierce debate. The emancipation of the slaves was a culmination of several factors, and the fierce political and economic progress at the time conceivably usurped benevolence as the motivation behind Parliament’s abolition. Ultimately, emancipation benefitted a wide range of groups in society, and encompassed the political direction of the day.

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