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In the 1760s, Britain transported and sold more slaves than all the other countries put together. Granville Sharp was one of the sons of the Archdeacon of Northumberland and had a strong social conscience. He was involved in many different good causes, but is best known as being one of the founder members of the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1787 which campaigned for the next 20 years.
Despite the Slave Trade Act of 1807, slavery continued and slaves were traded illegally. The Anti-Slavery Society was founded in 1823. The politician most associated with this society is William Wilberforce. As a result of campaigning and perhaps because of a massive slave revolt in Jamaica, the Slavery Abolition Act was passed by parliament in 1833. Sadly, William Wilberforce died just over a month before this. The Act gave compensation to slave owners, including some notable figures such as the Bishop of Exeter.
Slavery had been abolished in England in the 12th century. This ban did not apply to the colonies and so slavery was widespread throughout the British Empire. In 1783, an abolition movement was started by a group of quakers. They objected to slavery on religious grounds. In 1793, Canada became the first place in the colonies to outlaw slavery. The British Parliament passed a law in 1808 which banned the slave trade but not slavery. This was not one hundred percent successful but naval patrols caught many slave ships and the slaves were resettled in the West Indies.
At the same time, on the other side of the Atlantic, the movement for the abolition of slavery was gathering strength in the USA. Slaves who had escaped from slavery via the underground railroad were beginning to campaign. One of these was Isabella Baumfree. She was already a devout Christian but in 1843, she became a Methodist, changed her name to Sojourner Truth and became a major campaigner against slavery.
Related US History Test: KS3 History Practice Test: Racial Unrest and Civil Rights in the USA
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