T h e T id e is T u rn in g

Civi GB 1/

Source: Abolition ! The Struggle to Abolish Slavery in the British Colonies, Richard S. Reddie.

! C HAPTER 7: ! In spite of Somerset case in 1772, Br had to wait until 1783 for her 1 st significant anti-slavery mvt. ! 2 events in the decade influenced the mvt: • American War of Independence in mid 1770s: Br offered freedom to the enslaved Africans living in North America if they joined their side in the war: Africans accepted the offer, but Br lost the war: Br resettled the Africans in chilly Nova Scotia, and this scheme would subsequently form part of the Sierra Leone resettlement project championed by Granville Sharp. o The Sierra Leone scheme involved several abolition committee members who drew up plans to return Africans in London to the West African colony of Sierra Leone. Europeans would work with Africans to run the colony, but overall control wd rest with white hands in London, rather than black hands in SL. Composition of the colony: ex-slaves, runaways who where in dire poverty on London’s streets, and prostitutes (400 people). The pop of SL was further swelled by 1000 African-Americans from the Am War of Ind. o The main criticism of the SL scheme was that it failed to make appropriate use of the Africans resettled in the colony. Many of the Africans involved were educated, capable individuals who had used skill, courage and perseverance to buy their way out of slavery. And yet they had to stand by while a range of British-appointed governors of mixed ability ran the colony on their behalf. o Although the Africans were fairly treated and had opportunities to voice their opinions about how the colony was being run, they were denied real

power to make the changes that were required to turn the colony into a success. o Some detractors have denounced the SL project as repatriation by another name. Has been seen as a high-minded yet hypocritical way of ridding the country of its rising black pop. Such were the nbs of destitute Africans in the country that Jonas Hanway helped to establish the Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor in the mid 1780s. • Events on board the ship the Zong in 1781: jettisoning of slaves. Acted as a catalyst for sustained anti-slavery activity. ! In 1783, British Quakers formed an anti-s committee in order to agitate agst slavery & ST. although a relatively small denomination at the time, the Quakers were an efficient gp –> a century’s worth of ostracism had taught them how to be economically self-sufficient. In the 1780s, they owned numerous businesses which provided them with the financial means to carry out anti-slavery activities on both sides of the Atlantic. They owned printing & publishing houses --> enabled them to circulate a range of material to local Quaker Meeting Houses. ! The Quakers had found a useful ally in the Church of England vicar, Revd James Ramsay --> he had 1st-hand knowledge of the ST having been a ship’s doctor on board a slaver. ! Olaudah Equiano: became one of a gp of Africans who worked with whites on various slaverelated cases. ! Thomas Clarkson: no one traveled farther, gathered more evidenceor spoke to more people about anti-s activitied than him. Of all the abolitionists, he appeared to be the most consistent. ! The Sierra Leone scheme was regarded as a worthy project by the Committee for the Abolition of the African ST, but they knew that the real work had to be carried out among those still in chains. ! Their work up until then had largely involved leafleting, public speaking and gentle persuasion, and yet appealing to the hearts and minds of the great British public wd not bring about the end of the slave trade. The Committee members knew that they needed an outstanding representative in P who cd rpst their case among the real decision-

makers in the land --> attention turned to young, articulate MP named William Wilberforce: a combination of charm, youth and excellent oratory skills. Family’s wealth. At first, he was not very concerned with ST, but in 1785, he became a fervent evangelical Christian. His firm religious beliefs equipped him with a sense of destiny and resolve, and a strong moral code which cd not be swayed by unscrupulous individuals who looked to buy MPs. ! With WiW on board, the committee knew that it had found the last piece in the jigsaw. Through its Quaker connections, the c had access to publishing & distribution networks and other wealthy benefactors (bienfaiteurs) were bankrolling (financer) its work. In T. Clarkson, the c had what we cd now call a ‘chief researcher’ who was responsible for gathering evidence of the full extent of the ST’s barbarity. He approached this task with efficiency and the guile (ruse) of a super sleuth (limier). ! It has been said that Clarkson and the abolitionists were the first to use tactics and methods that are now commonplace: petitions, slogans, mottos and banners. They skillfully used what were undoubtedly propaganda. ! As it the case today, the abo knew that the British people wd show a real interest in anti-s if a personal dimension to the suffering cd be applied. ! Clarkson was one of the first people to believe that Africa cd trade with Europe without the exchange of human beings. He firmly held the view that Africa had both the natural resources and skills to engage with Europe on mutually beneficial terms. ! In 1787, WW’s good friend William Pitt had become Prime minister, and WW spent his time persuading him to outlaw Br’s involvement in the trade. ! But Pitt knew the financial worth of the ST (he desired to end the trade though) and he also believed he had bigger concerns to deal with, such as Br’s socio-political & economic situation (Br’s part in quelling (étouffer) the rebellion of the North Amn colonies during War of Ind had led a national debt of staggering (prodigieux) proportions). + constitutional crisis caused by illness of King George III, thought to be suffering from mental disorder. ! Nonetheless, WW did manage to have Pitt instructing the Trade Committee of the Privy Council to conduct a year-long enquiry into the ST before then reporting back to

him. When it arrived, the report proved a real revelation for all concerned: described Africans as people devoid of morals and religion, for had been slaves in their own country anyway. The report contained evidence from supporters and detractors of the ST. Supporters of slavery gave evidence that the ST was humane and saved Africans from savagery in their homelands. ! WW used the Privy Council report to make his 1 st major speech in the House of Commons in 1789. ! Most abolitionist politicians like W and Charles James Fox believed firmly that the ST was immoral and unjust, and their parliamentary speeches were thus infused with a passion born of conviction. The slave-supporting MPs’ approach was to appeal to the purse strings rather than the heartstrings. ! The parliamentary debate was adjourned due to indecision in the H & when it returned over a week later, the vote was defeated by 163 to 88.