Why did it take so long to end the Slave Trade? Lesson starter: 1.Write a list of all the methods the abolitionists used (from memory). 2.Which one do you think would be most effective? Why?

We are learning to… Identify opposition and barriers to the abolitionist movement I can… Learn about and teach one factor of opposition Answer a N5 explain Question

Background 1765 Granville Sharp brought his first legal case against the slave trade in The Abolitionists Society first protested at parliament in In 1789, William Wilberforce introduced a Bill to end slavery However, in 1807, the Atlantic Slave Trade was still going strong Why?

The Pro Slavery Campaign Opposition in Parliament Campaigns against abolition in slave ports Events Outside Britain Divide a double page into four sections with these four headings Your teacher will put you into groups of four and each person will research and teach one factor

Person 1: The Pro Slavery Campaign People who were making fortunes through owning plantations in the West Indies or trading slaves got behind this campaign They made speeches in support of the trade They said there would be no sugar or rum in Britain without ‘negroes’ They scared people into believing Britain would lose all its wealth They said abolishing the trade would make hundreds of thousands of Brits unemployed They also wrote articles in magazines encouraging people to support slavery They also published pictures which showed that slaves were treated well and that some British families suffered more than slaves on plantations

Person 2: Opposition in Parliament MPs who supported the trade were powerful and well organised They gave many speeches supporting the trade They also deliberately slowed down any moves towards abolition They argued more time was needed to investigate slavery Many MPs gave speeches warning that France, Holland or Denmark would simply steal Britain’s place if they withdrew from the slave trade (parliamentary enquiries) Some supporters of slavery gave evidence to parliament (parliamentary enquiries) saying that the middle passage was not brutal; that slaves had music, games & dancing gradually reducing Some MPs proposed gradually reducing the slave trade rather than abolishing it Many MPs were bribed by slave traders to support the trade

Person 3: Campaigns in the Ports People in towns like Bristol & Liverpool campaigned to keep the slave trade Thomas Leyland The Mayor of Liverpool, Thomas Leyland, claimed that abolishing the trade would seriously harm the city He scaremongered (exaggerated to scare people); saying cities like Bristol would lose 60% of it’s trade and all the sugar refineries would have to close down This worried many ordinary people as they felt their jobs were at risk

Person 4: Events Outside Britain The French slave colony of Saint-Dominique (now Haiti) rose up successfully against their rulers Under the leadership of Toussaint L’ouverture they set up an independent country called Haiti British leaders were worried; could something similar happen on nearby Jamaica? They banned any moves to abolish the Slave Trade – worried it would encourage slaves in the West Indies to start a revolution

Test your knowledge: N5 question 1.Explain the reasons why many people in Britain continued to support the slave trade. 6 marks. (From last years paper!) British people continued to support the slave trade because… x6

Answers It brought wealth to Britain and was popular with those who had become rich The trade brought employment to Britain i.e. shipyards Cities profited (Glasgow, Liverpool, Bristol) so people in those cities wanted to see it continue The products of the slave trade i.e. sugar, tobacco were in great demand and people didn’t want to give them up Many MPs had financial interests in the trade so helped it continue The slave trade allowed Britain to remain powerful and many worried competitors i.e. France would just step in Revolts i.e. Haiti worried/ shocked people into continuing to support slavery Any other valid point. Any other valid point.