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Year 8

The 1807 abolition of the slave trade

I can explain the causes of Britain's abolition of slavery, and how this led to Britain combating enslavement around the world.

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New
New
Year 8

The 1807 abolition of the slave trade

I can explain the causes of Britain's abolition of slavery, and how this led to Britain combating enslavement around the world.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Britain had been fighting a war against Napoleon since 1793 - the aftermath of the execution of Louis XVI of France.
  2. Many Britons believed their fight was for freedom against tyranny; enslavement was seen as tyranny not freedom.
  3. Other Britons drew comparisons between poor working conditions at home and the plight of enslaved people on plantations.
  4. The 1807 Slave Trade Act banned the buying, selling and transportation of enslaved humans throughout the British Empire.
  5. The British Navy then enforced abolition, policing the Atlantic and capturing slave ships, freeing those held on board.

Common misconception

The 1807 Slave Trade Act freed all enslaved people in the British Empire.

The 1807 Slave Trade Act did not free all enslaved people in the British Empire, but did ban the buying, selling and transportation of enslaved individuals from that point forward.

Keywords

  • Tyranny - the oppression of people, usually under a dictator or tyrant

  • Abolition - the outlawing of enslavement by a particular country

  • Amplifying - making a sound louder or strengthening a point of view

  • Profited - making money from doing something

  • Inhumane - treating people in a way that goes against the dignity and respect human beings deserve

Ensure students know that though Britain perpetuated the institution of enslavement prior to 1807, with the 1807 Slave Trade Act they would become the world leader in the global abolition movement.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Complete the following sentence with a keyword: Revolts of enslaved people in the Caribbean convinced the British public that those who were enslaved found their lives ________.
Correct Answer: intolerable, Intolerable
Q2.
Apart from revolts and uprisings enacted by enslaved people, what was the proof for the British public that life for enslaved people was extremely hard?
the direct experiences that members of the British public had of enslavement
Correct answer: the Zong massacre
slave owners' testimony
Correct answer: Olaudah Equiano's autobiography
Q3.
Match the key figures and features of abolition to the correct description.
Correct Answer:William Wilberforce,British Member of Parliament and abolitionist

British Member of Parliament and abolitionist

Correct Answer:Toussaint L’Ouverture,leader of the Haitian Revolution

leader of the Haitian Revolution

Correct Answer:Olaudah Equiano,formerly enslaved man who published his autobiography

formerly enslaved man who published his autobiography

Correct Answer:Zong,a slave ship on which a massacre of enslaved people occurred

a slave ship on which a massacre of enslaved people occurred

Q4.
Which fundamental right, protecting against unlawful detention or imprisonment helped abolitionist lawyers to win the Somerset vs Stewart case, outlawing enslavement in England and Wales in 1772?
Correct Answer: habeas corpus, Habeas Corpus, habeus corpus, Habeus Corpus, Habeas corpus
Q5.
The Zong massacre intensified opposition to enslavement amongst the British public. What happened in this event?
Correct answer: Over 100 captured Africans were thrown overboard due to a water shortage.
Under 100 captured Africans were thrown overboard due to a water shortage.
Over 100 captured Africans were abandoned with nothing on a remote island.
Under 100 captured Africans were abandoned with nothing on a remote island.
Q6.
In which year was the Slave Trade Act passed by the British government?
1607
1707
Correct answer: 1807
1907

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Complete with the same word: Some abolitionists saw Britain as hypocritical because they were fighting Napoleon's at the same time as imposing a of their own on the people Saint-Domingue.
Correct Answer: tyranny, Tyranny
Q2.
Which two people led the British abolition movement at the end of the 18th century, and the beginning of the 19th?
Correct answer: Olaudah Equiano
Correct answer: William Wilberforce
Toussaint L'Ouverture
Q3.
Match the colonies below to the empire they were controlled by for the vast majority of the 18th century.
Correct Answer:Saint-Domingue,France

France

Correct Answer:Jamaica and Barbados,Great Britain

Great Britain

Correct Answer:Santo Domingo,Spain

Spain

Q4.
What did the 1807 Slave Trade Act outlaw?
Correct answer: buying enslaved people within the British Empire
Correct answer: selling enslaved people within the British Empire
Correct answer: transporting enslaved people within the British Empire
owning enslaved people who were acquired prior to the Slave Trade Act
Q5.
Put the following events into chronological order, starting with the earliest.
1 - Britain invaded Saint-Domingue to re-establish enslavement there.
2 - British troops, having been defeated, returned from Saint-Domingue.
3 - William Wilberforce pressured parliament to pass the 1807 Slave Trade Act.
4 - Britain used the Royal Navy to enforce abolition throughout the Atlantic.
Q6.
Which two adjectives best describe the idea of enslavement, from a human rights perspective?
humane
Correct answer: inhumane
tolerable
acceptable
Correct answer: unacceptable

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