Civi GB

T ra d e

C a llin g T im e o n t h e s la v e 1/

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

! C HAPTER 8: ! African abolitionists: In 1789, Olaudah Equiano published his autobiography before embarking on a national tour in order to promote both his book and the anti-s cause. ! Quobna Ottobah Cugoano also joined Equiano in the growing abolitionist mvt: born in the 1750s, he had been enslaved and taken to the West Indian island of Grenada. When his master brought him to Britain, he obtained his freedom. Like Equiano, he was a man of faith and baptized in 1773 as a sign of both his newly discovered freedom and his belief in Jesus C. Unlike Equiano, he chose to call himself John Stuart. He published his own discourse on slavery: Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil and Wicked Traffic of the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species. He called for the immediate emancipation of all Africans. ! Ignatius Sancho was another noted African freedom fighter. ! The work of these freedom fighters is impt because it dispelled (chasser, dissiper) many of the misconceptions that white people held about Africans: “savages, pagans,” similar to children without opinions, and yet here were Equiano and his friends helping to totally debunk (discréditer) these theories through articulate speeches. ! The combined efforts of black and white abolitionists resulted in the boycott of slaveproduced West Indian sugar. • Unfortunately, many forgot that the same substance also went into cakes, biscuits etc. so the British public continued to eat these sugar-laden items. ! The pièce de résistance of the abolition campaign was Josiah Wegdwood’s anti-s seal of a kneeling, chained African uttering the words ‘Am I not a man and a brother?’ he allowed this iconic image to be reproduced on a range of paraphernalia: women wore brooches emblazoned with the image, wristbands and badges. Items such as snuffboxes (tabatières), purses and crockery (vaisselle) carried the cameo image.

! One of the amazing aspects of the mvt was the way it cut across boundaries of class, gender, ethnicity and produced a hitherto unknown form of solidarity. ! Transformations in the 18th c: the urban poor laboring in factories cd identify with the exploitation of Africans. Birth of the Industrial Revolution and rise of work-related exploitation. Br worker were brutalized by factory owners in their attempt to increase production and profits. ! Female involvement: it began at the outset (début) of abo activity. Women played diverse roles in this prolonged campaign with some carrying ‘behind the scenes’ maneuvering— persuading a husband or father to support the campaign either politically of financially. Some were involved in direct participation while other women, especially those in the Clapham Sect, were considered the ‘guardians of religion and morality’, and attitude which encouragde men to take heed of women’s views on the topic. ! During late 18th c, women were denied the right to vote, had little access to education and were under legal authority of husband. • Mary Wollstonecraft (writer and feminist campaigner) compared in A Vindication of the Rights of Women the position of women in Br sty with that of enslaved Africans. Hannah More: member of the Clapham Sect: contradictions in her life and attitudes. She was without doubt one of the leading female abolitionists of her time, although she is probably better remembered for her educational work among Br’s poor and the reformation of manners among the upper classes. It wd be wrong to suggest that all female abo were well-heeled (aisées), educated women with time on their hands, as working class women from all parts of Br participated in the mvt. •

! One can argue that it was fashionable or politically correct to support abolition during the late 1780s, although this was soon to change. • The French Revolution: initially welcomed by some abo: Clarkson thought that the initial French calls for liberty wd result in the country turning its back on slavery, and he went to Paris to find out about the Revo. • The events in St Domingue following the French revo (= revo in the Frenchdominated island, and killing of French by slaves) were not seen in a good way by public opinion in Br, who sympathized with white elite = French property-owning classes in St Domingue = sugar planters. The London-based Sty of West Indian Planters and Merchants wasted no time in using the violence and destruction of the Revo as confirmation of the maligned influence of the abolitionists. ! Most Br abo wanted to free Africans with conditions attached so that after the sl system was dismantled, real power wd still remain in the hands of the colonial masters. ! The Church and slavery: many clergymen, including bishops, had investments in West Indian slavery. Revd Raymond Harris even used the Bible verses to justify slavery. But not all church folk shared his ideas. John Wesley, founder of the evangelical Methodism, had denounced it in 1774 in his treatise Thoughts on Slavery and had encouraged WW in his work. ! The Clapham Sect: a gp of wealthy Church of England evangelicals who lived in the village of Clapham, South London, in the late 18th c. Took an interest in a range of social reform activities, including ending of ST. Part of the gp: WW, Sharp, Zachary Macaulay (later gov of Sierra Leone), James Stephen. • The Sect’s work with the poor mirrored its activities with Africans, who were seen as wretched (misérables) creatures in need of assistance from their betters. Their work was about removing them from drudgery (labeur), but not about putting them on an equal footing. ! Prime minister Pitt argued that he had to overlook (fermer les yx sur) the sl question due to the pressing issue of protecting his country from workers-led revo and French designs on Br. ! In 1794, Br embarked on an ill-fated (infortuné) attempt to capture St Domingue.

WW refused to condemn the Br invasion of St D: ha was a conservative at heart, and he was deeply opposed to any activity threatening king or country. • He supported Pitt’s Gagging Act (banned meetings of over 50 people) and also sided with the Combination Acts (prevented formation of trade unions among the workers) --> laws preventing workers in Br to rebel. • ==> WW was said to be more interested in the Negroes of W Indies than the Br white working class laborers. ! Further blow to the mvt: retirement of Thomas Clarkson in 1794: nervous breakdown. ! As the 18th c drew to a close, WW found himself alone in the campaign and even his great resolve began to wilt (faiblir). • The irony was that when both the anti-ST mvt and WW were at their lowest ebbs, motions in P to end the ST were defeated by only a handful of votes in 1796 and 1798. But despite these close calls (decision), P appeared to turn its back on the abolition mvt.) ! First 3 years of 19th c, nothing really happened. WW was a bit isolated. The Committee for the Abo of the ST met infrequently btw 1797 and 1804, largely due to the passing of draconian laws to counteract any seditious activities that were linked to Napoleon. •

! But events were about to turn in favor of the abo: • Return to mental health of Clarkson = catalyst for the campaign to be reinvigorated. Coincided with emergence of newer faces: Zachary Macaulay and James Stephen. • No threat of French invasion anymore: defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. • Changing mood in Br: people began to believe that the ST was not in keeping with British pretensions as the world’s leading moral and cultural force: abolition in keeping with so-called true bastion of freedom and champion of human rights. •

Industrial Revolution: technological dvpts that transformed working conditions: this was in stark contrast to slavery that relied on slave labor as opposed to free labor, and thrived (prospérait) on monopolies rather than on liberalized trade.

It was a means for Br to seize the moral high ground from its main rivals, France and UQ (both countries boasted frequently about freedom, equality, fraternity). • Evangelical revival in 2 nd half of 18 th c --> profoundly affected Br. Ex: Dr Bielby Porteus, Bishop of Chester and London: his writings railed agst the ST. ! The planters were aware that abo were agst ST but not slavery in itself, and that alliances cd be made with these gps if the planters were more humane to Africans. WW even reassured the planters that plantations slavery cd not end because Africans were not in a position to look after themselves. ! Anxious of P being increasingly receptive to abo message, slave-traders mounted a desperate campaign to safeguard their financial interests. Took out adverts in the press, etc. But abo countered with a propaganda which included thousands of petitions. ! Death of William Pitt in 1806: at the time of his death, he was more of a hindrance (gêne) than a help to the abo: Napoleon and events had quenched (éteindre) his ardor to end the ST. Successor: Lord Grenville: influence within the House of Lords. • He wasted no time in overseeing (gérer) the passing of the Importation Restriction Bill in 1806. •