The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave-Trade, by the British Parliament

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Title

The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave-Trade, by the British Parliament

Language

en

Book source

Global Grey

Description max 80 words

Thomas Clarkson's firsthand account details the British campaign to end the transatlantic slave trade. With moral urgency, the text chronicles the abolitionists' tireless labors, the grim realities of the trade, and the political struggle that culminated in the 1807 Act, while addressing the urgent need to address foreign trafficking and West Indian slavery.

Summary up to 500 words

Thomas Clarkson's monumental work chronicles the rise, progress, and accomplishment of the British abolition of the African slave trade. The narrative begins with the formation of a small committee in 1787, composed largely of Quakers and dissenters, who faced immense opposition from powerful merchants and politicians. Clarkson details his extensive travels across England to gather evidence, forming local committees and collecting testimonies from sailors, witnesses, and victims to prove the trade's criminal nature and inhumanity. The text vividly describes the horrors of the Middle Passage, the high mortality rates of enslaved people, and the brutal treatment of sailors. It recounts the parliamentary debates, the Privy Council's initial reluctance, and the eventual shift in public opinion that led to the Slave Trade Act of 1807. Clarkson argues that the Act was only a first step, exposing the continued foreign slave trade to nations like Spain and Portugal, which British anti-slavery cruisers ironically exacerbated by flawed treaties and profit-driven capture systems. Furthermore, the book addresses the plight of enslaved people in the West Indies, challenging the argument that they were unprepared for freedom. Clarkson asserts that the closure of the African market should have led to better treatment and natural population growth, rather than the continued suffering of existing slaves. The work serves as both a historical record of a moral victory and a scathing indictment of the systemic cruelty that persisted long after the trade was legally abolished in Britain.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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