The Slave Trade & its Abolition

Did you know that there were fourteen thousand slaves in Britain in 1772, or that there are still slaves in some parts of the world today? This primary source portfolio outlines the development of the slave trade from 1503, when the first slaves were taken to the Caribbean, to its abolition throughout the British Empire in 1833. The shameful story is told through documents, cartoons, photographs, and engravings. Pages from the journal of a slave trader, which record the purchase of slaves and life on a slave ship, show that slaving was a lucrative trade and that for hundreds of years even the most devout Christians saw nothing wrong in it. This portfolio includes a Study Guide with reproducible student activities. 6 Illustrated Broadsheet Essays: * Slavery * How it began * The Middle Passage * The Plantations * The men with a conscience * Why did it take so long? 8 Primary Source Documents: * A plan of the slaving ship Brookes * A Portrait of William Wilberforce * A bill advertising a slave auction * Pages from the Journal of a slave trader * A remonstrance from the Council and Assembly of Jamaica * Accounts of Negroes delivered to Barbados, Jamaica and Antigua (1698 to 1701) * Views of slavery from cartoons * Sold into Slavery: scenes of slave life