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The Abolition of the British Slave Trade Sofía Muñoz Valdivieso (Málaga, Spain)

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The Abolition of the British Slave Trade Sofía Muñoz Valdivieso (Málaga, Spain) The Abolition of the British Slave Trade Sofía Muñoz Valdivieso (Málaga, Spain) 2007 marks the bicentenary of the Abolition of individual protagonists of the abolitionist cause, the Slave Trade in the British Empire. On 25 the most visible in the 2007 commemorations March 1807 Parliament passed an Act that put will probably be the Yorkshire MP William an end to the legal transportation of Africans Wilberforce, whose heroic fight for abolition in across the Atlantic, and although the institution Parliament is depicted in the film production of of slavery was not abolished until 1834, the 1807 Amazing Grace, appropriately released in Act itself was indeed a historic landmark. Britain on Friday, 23 March, the weekend of Conferences, exhibitions and educational the bicentenary. The film reflects the traditional projects are taking place in 2007 to view that places Wilberforce at the centre of commemorate the anniversary, and many the antislavery process as the man who came different British institutions are getting involved to personify the abolition campaign (Walvin in an array of events that bring to public view 157), to the detriment of other less visible but two hundred years later not only the equally crucial figures in the abolitionist parliamentary process whereby the trading in movement, such as Thomas Clarkson, Granville human flesh was made illegal (and the Sharp and many others, including the black antislavery campaign that made it possible), but voices who in their first-person accounts also what the Victoria and Albert Museum revealed to British readers the cruelty of the exhibition calls the Uncomfortable Truths of slave system. Amazing Grace captures the British involvement in the slave trade. Some of essential participation in the campaign of these events make an effort to qualify the Quakers and abolitionists such as Clarkson, celebratory mode and shift the focus from Olaudah Equiano, or the former slave ship Britains enlightened role as beacon of the captain John Newton, but because of its focus humanitarian defence of slaves rights to wider on the parliamentary fight the film presents the issues of past and present slavery as they abolitionist struggle as resting fundamentally on confront the irony that many of the museums the shoulders of William Wilberforce, the MP and galleries marking the bicentenary have who started submitting bills against the slave historically benefited from the wealth generated trade in Parliament in 1791 and who, despite by slave trading (Behrman). repeated defeats, maintained his focus against The passing of the Abolition Act in Parliament slavery until he died one month before in 1807 was the successful ending of a struggle Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act in that had started in the 1780s and had involved 1833. many different people, both well-known The Amazing Grace website makes an effort historical figures and anonymous individuals to underline the role of the film as a springboard who published against slavery in the press, for wider engagement in contemporary issues signed petitions, participated in boycotts of of slavery and offers educational links on the slave-produced sugar and attended crowded topic of slavery as well as an outline of a project halls for events that made the abolition related to the abolition of modern-day slavery. movement soon renowned for the size and Like most of the 2007 commemorations, the film enthusiasm of its public meetings (Walvin attempts to widen its audiences perspectives 155)without forgetting the acts of resistance on slavery: of the slaves themselves who in the colonies It was in 1807 that the long, arduous anti-slave trade escaped, resisted and rebelled. The antislavery campaign spearheaded by William Wilberforce resulted campaign in Britain was the first genuine mass in the passing of the abolition bill in the British movement in the country and its appeal crossed Parliament. The March 2007 release date of the film is purposeful, coinciding with the 200th anniversary of social and class boundaries. Among the 41 The European English Messenger 16.1 (2007) the abolition of slave trade in Great Britain. In Objections to the trade in Britain emerged first conjunction with the release of Amazing Grace, our Amazing Change campaign and partners, a campaign amongst the Quakers and in May 1783 Quakers encouraging us all to take action on behalf of social in London presented a petition against the trade justice throughout the world Through this film and to the Houses of Parliament. That same year campaign, we rekindle one luminous story of one great the shocking story of the Liverpool slaver Zong soul and the good he sought to do. We hope it leads to brought to public view one more horrifying the telling and re-telling of many other stories for years to come (Amazing Grace: Educational Resource). aspect of the trade, the practice of throwing Although the promotion live slaves overboard for campaign for Amazing commercial interests. The Grace adapts the wording captain of the Zong had of the famous hymn to ordered the drowning of summarize the production in 133 slaves at sea to claim the simple outline A nation insurance for damaged was blind until one man goods upon his return, and made them see, the film the case was indeed website acknowledges that presented in court as an the story of William insurance claim which the Wilberforce is just one point captain won. Throughout of entry to many other the years Quakers would stories with their different remain prominent in the resonance and importance, abolitionist battle, possibly and the many commem- because many Quaker orations of the Abolition of families had profited the Slave Trade in 2007 substantially from their across the country will involvement in the trade and indeed provide varied considered their partici- perspectives into a complex pation in the abolitionist past event whose rever- campaign a means of berations continue in the alleviating their guilt present. The hymn Amaz- (Thomas 33). When the ing Grace that has provided Society for Effecting the the title of the film was Abolition of the Slave Trade written by John Newton in was founded in 1787, nine 1772, a full twenty years out of its twelve committee before he actually became involved in the members were Quakers, who sensed that the abolition movement with the publication of a advancement of the cause would depend to a powerful pamphlet, Thoughts upon the African great extent on their ability to bring the distant Slave Trade (1788), in which he gave an and rather vague reality of slavery closer to the account of the institution from his first-hand British public. In order to achieve this they perspective as a former slave ship captain. searched throughout of the country for relevant Newton, an Anglican clergyman since 1764, had testimonies and physical evidence that could remained silent in his sermons on the issue of provide a more accurate vision of slavery, and slavery for many years, but seemed to have indeed some of their findings such as the been shaken by the information campaign staged diagram of the slaver Brookes would become in the previous months by Thomas Clarkson and emblems of the fight against slavery. The person the Quakers, who certainly felt that having a that travelled most in search of information and prominent Anglican clergyman like Newton on witnesses was Thomas Clarkson, the author of record was a coup for the committee a 1786 essay on slavery that helped win over (Hochschild 131). William Wilberforce to the antislavery cause. 42 Clarkson became the movements main no one to be a slave in England itself. Slave researcher as he travelled 35,000 miles around owners of course felt differently, but case law Britain between 1787 and 1794, giving lectures on the subject was scant and unclear, and there and looking for testimonies and physical were simply no statutes allowing, forbidding or evidence that could be presented in Parliament regulating slavery in the British Isles in the case against the slave trade, such as (Hochschild 46). Lord Mansfield was careful chains, manacles, iron collars and branding to cast his decision in a way that allowed irons. The final success of Somerset to be freed the movement hinged upon without implying that all a number of brilliant slaves in the country had alliances [and] this between the right to freedom. Clarkson and the Quakers Although misinterpreted by was the first one (Hoch- many black and white schild 95). William Wilber- contemporaries as a ruling force was the central against slavery, the deci- parliamentary figure of the sion in the Somerset case antislavery movement, but was that a slave could not Clarkson was its main be removed from England organiser, and indeed against his wishesa the public campaignthe ruling that despite its popular agitation in the limitations has been seen by country at largewas inspired some historians as the first and led by Thomas Clarkson, abolitions indefatigable foot signal of the end of slavery soldier: lecturer, traveller and in Britain. The case of researcher. Clarkson was the Somerset was not the first man who helped to transform one that Granville Sharp, the publics vague sense that initially an obscure clerk in there was something wrong with the Atlantic slave trade the Ordnance Office, had into a powerful and focused fought in court in defence national voice of wide-spread of slaves; it was neverthe- and strident oppo-sition. less the one that made him Clarkson stirred up, and then more visible and brought channelled, this voice (Walvin 157-58). some hope about freedom: The antislavery campaign On the evening of the 22nd had nevertheless started in the English law of June 1772, blacks in London had no doubt at courts twenty years earlier with Granville all that there was reason to celebrate, and they Sharps efforts to bring cases against owners did so at a party at Dr Johnsons house organized in Britain that forcefully wanted to remove by his servant Francis Barber (Schama 63).
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