What made Thomas Clarkson so angry? L/O – To identify the key features of the slave trade and to evaluate to what extent Africa was civilised before the trade

Who was Thomas Clarkson? Thomas Clarkson was born in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire (UK), in 1760. His father was the local headmaster and died when Thomas was just six years old. Thomas worked hard at school and won a place at Cambridge University. His aim was to join the Church but in 1785 he entered an essay writing competition that would change his life completely. As Thomas carried out research for his essay, he became increasingly shocked and angry about what he was reading. “It was but one gloomy subject from morning to night. In the daytime I was uneasy. In the night I had little rest. I sometimes never closed my eyelids for grief.”

How did the Slave Trade work? The topic for the essay was of course the Slave Trade. Like many, he knew little about it. He knew it had existed throughout history, in many times and places like in the Roman Empire. The Portuguese and Spanish empires first practiced it during the 1500s. From the 1600s onwards, France, the Dutch, and the British became the biggest traders. By the 1800s, a ‘triangular trade’ had developed between Europe, Africa, and the Americas (mostly the Caribbean).

What was being carried around the ‘Triangle’?

Was Africa ‘civilised’ before the Trade? Many supporters of the slave trade argued that African nations and cultures were ‘uncivilised’. They believed that Africans had no culture or civilisation that was comparable to Europeans. Therefore, they believed they had a ‘right’ to do what they wanted. But was this true? Was African civilisation ‘uncivilised?’ You will research old African empire to find out! In groups you will each research and create a 3-5 minute presentation on a different African empire: Axum, Ghana, Mali, Songhai, Ethiopia, Mossi, and Benin For each, you need to research and present information on the following: large cities; organised government, complex religions, job specialisation, social classes, writing, art and architecture, public works