Key Stage 3: The Slave Trade and Abolition

Timeline of Key Events Content

1562-69 John Hawkins becomes first Englishman to have traded slaves. Sells 1200 slaves
1672 Royal African Company set up. Only company that could sell slaves in Africa 1. Background to slavery; what was it all about; what
1698 Private companies can trade slaves. Vast increase in the capture and sale of slaves
is Triangular Trade?

1765 Granville Sharp begins first legal challenges to slavery 2. Life on the Middle Passage
Granville Sharp won an historic ruling in the Somerset case which held that no slave
1772
could be forcibly removed from Britain. (Slavery itself was still permitted)
133 African slaves are thrown overboard so the slavers could claim insurance money. 3. Treatment of slaves: slave auctions; punishment
1783
This is known as the Zong Massacre of slaves; life on a plantation
1786 Thomas Clarkson publishes an essay putting forward his argument to abolish slavery

1789 Olaudah Equiano publishes a book on his experiences as a slave

4. What caused the abolition of slavery?
1790 William Wilberforce’s first Abolition Bill is rejected in Parliament
Toussaint L’Ouverture leads a rebellion on the island of Haiti. Haiti became free and
1791
independent in 1804 5. Assessment
1807 The Act to Abolish the Transatlantic Slave Trade passed in Parliament
1833 Abolition of the Slave Trade Act passed giving all Caribbean slaves their freedom
Key people
John Newton Former slave trader who became a priest. He wrote a journal explaining the poor conditions on a slave ship
Slavers White people who were in charge of the slaves
Olaudah Equiano Former slave who wrote a book describing his poor treatment as a slave, which changed people’s opinions on slavery
Toussaint L’Ouverture Leader of a slave rebellion which successfully took over the island of Haiti from the French and freed the slaves
Elizabeth Heyrick One of the most prominent female campaigners against slavery in the 1820’s and 1830’s.
William Wilberforce The main figurehead in parliament for the abolition of slavery. Was key in the Abolition of Slavery Act
Granville Sharp Anti-slavery campaigner. Also supported slaves in court cases against their masters including the Zong Massacre
Thomas Clarkson Another key anti-slavery campaigner. Worked closely with William Wilberforce to end slavery
Alexander Falconbridge A ships surgeon who experienced a journey on a slave ship and opposed slavery as a result of the appalling conditions
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator who completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, opening the way for
Christopher Columbus
the widespread European exploration and colonisation of the Americas.
John Hawkins The first English man to be involved in the purchase and selling of slaves with the Spanish.
An English potter, entrepreneur and abolitionist who designed a logo for the anti-slavery movement. The slogan he used on his anti-
Josiah Wedgwood
slavery medallion. was “Am I not a man and a brother?” This was distributed across the country.
The main focus of the 1976 novel, Roots. This character was based on the experiences of the author, Alex Haley’s ancestors who had
Kunta Kinte
been kidnapped in Gambia and enslaved.
Ignatius Sancho Born in 1729 on a slave-ship bound for Grenada, Ignatius Sancho was an African composer, actor and writer who would later become a
 devoted supporter of the abolitionist cause in Britain. He was also the first black person to vote in a UK parliamentary election.
Terminology/Literacy
Middle Passage The journey between Africa and the West Indies Dehumanised Slaves were made to seem less human through their treatment

Abolitionist Someone who campaigns to end slavery Overseers Those in charge of the slaves

Triangular Trade The three-legged journey of the slave trade Revolt An armed uprising

The action of abolishing (stopping) a system, practice, or

Cargo Slaves who are treated as objects and not humans Abolition
institution
Up to 400 slaves crammed onto a boat on the Middle Passage
Loose-Packing Less slaves on a ship but more likely to stay healthy/survive Tight-Packing
to maximise profit. High chance of disease
An auction where traders buy a ticket for a fixed price, entitling
Trans-Atlantic Journeys across the Atlantic Ocean Scramble Auction
them to one slave. They then had to grab the slave they wanted
A public sale in which property or goods are sold to the
Auction Branded To be marked with a metal poker indicating ownership.
highest bidder
An estate on which crops such as coffee, sugar, and tobacco
Plantation Flogged Beating someone with a stick or whip as a punishment
are grown.
The act of treating someone unfairly to benefit from their Broad beans/Fava beans was a typical part of the diet on the
Exploitation Horse Beans
work. Middle Passage because it was cheap and readily available.
A slave ship which became infamous when, in 1781, Captain
A vegetable that was also a typical part of a slaves diet on
Yams Zong Luke Collingwood had 131 enslaved people thrown overboard,
the Middle Passage
hoping he could claim the loss against insurance
Massacre The indiscriminate and brutal slaughter of many people Spice Trade The trade of spices between European and Asian merchants
The term given to the Americas by European explorers in the Europeans built factories along the West African coast; they
The New World 16th century. It was called the ‘New’ to show superiority over Factories housed enslaved Africans until they were loaded onto ships.
indigenous people
Irons The chains worn by slaves Ammunition A supply or quantity of bullets for a gun

The “Big” House The house owned by the plantation owner Campaign An organised course of action to achieve a political goal
The collection of signatures for a political cause to be
Petition Voyages A long journey involving travel by sea or in space
presented to the relevant authority
A more favoured and entrusted slave who would make sure The islands off the east coast of North, Central and South
Slave-driver Caribbean
the slaves were working hard enough. America that were called the West Indies by Columbus
Human Rights Standards or expectations held to be common to all Quaker A religious, Christian group who live by peaceful means
A period where slaves newly arrived from Africa were initiated
Shackles The chains used to chain slaves together Seasoning into work; new enslaved people were given marginally lesser
tasks in this period as their ability to survive disease was tested