Slavery Then
Britain's slave trade is arguably one of the darkest periods in British History. Between 1776, the year of the declaration of American Independence, and 1807, it is estimated that Britain alone trafficked in over 1,000,000 human lives.
Slaving boats would leave Britain for the West Coast of Africa where they would trade guns and other manufactured goods for African slaves. The African slaves would then be shipped across to the Americas where it is estimated 10-12 million slaves were sold onto the farms and plantations. Many never made it alive to America, as the conditions on board the slave ships were so appalling – over 2 million Africans died during these journeys, during which they were kept in cramped squalid conditions and treated worse than animals. Once in the Americas, they were worked to death. The goods they produced, much of it sugar, coffee and tobacco, were shipped back to the UK on the empty slave ships, bringing wealth and prosperity to the traders and the cities in which they lived, such as Liverpool and Bristol.
The African slaves were de-humanised by the slave traders and the societies they belonged to. They were simply not viewed as an equal race to whites, and sadly these views inherent in slavery persist in society today.
Historic Facts
- Between 1776 and 1807 it is estimated that Britain alone trafficked in over 1,000,000 human lives.
- The voyage of a slave ship across the Atlantic usually took about two months.
- Slaves were kept in appalling conditions under the deck with just 6ft x 1ft 4in for men, 5ft 10in x 1ft 4in for women and similarly cramped spaces for children.
- When slavery itself was finally abolished in 1833, over £20,000,000 had to be paid by the British Government in compensation to the slave owners.
