8.1.5

Reasons Attitudes to the Slave Trade Changed

Test yourself

Reasons Attitudes to the Slave Trade Changed

By the end of the 1700s, attitudes to the slave trade began to change. Resistance to the slave trade increased by the end of the century.

Illustrative background for Resistance in AfricaIllustrative background for Resistance in Africa ?? "content

Resistance in Africa

  • By the end of the 18th century, leaders in Africa were refusing to sell slaves to British traders.
  • Sometimes, African villages would attack British ships and free the slaves.
Illustrative background for Slave rebellionsIllustrative background for Slave rebellions ?? "content

Slave rebellions

  • Some slaves began to rebel on ships. This was called a ‘mutiny’.
    • The most famous example was in 1839 on the Amistad. There were also slave rebellions on plantations.
    • Toussaint L'Ouverture was a slave and led a rebellion in 1791 in the French colony, Saint Domingue (now Haiti).
Illustrative background for Slaves running awayIllustrative background for Slaves running away ?? "content

Slaves running away

  • Slaves were also running away from plantations.
    • In Jamaica, slaves who ran away established ‘Maroon’ communities.
  • In Britain, slaves also ran away.
    • James Somerset is a famous example of a slave who ran away from his master.
Illustrative background for Olaudah EquianoIllustrative background for Olaudah Equiano ?? "content

Olaudah Equiano

  • Olaudah Equiano was a slave captured as a child in Benin.
  • He managed to buy his freedom from his owner in 1766. Many slave owners would not ever give slaves an opportunity to become a 'freedman'.
  • Equiano worked with other abolitionists like Granville Sharp to help to abolish the slave trade and slavery.

Jump to other topics

1The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

1.1Anglo-Saxon England

1.2The Contest for the English Throne

1.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

1.4King John

1.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

1.6The Black Death

2Worldviews

3The Empire of Mali

4The Renaissance & Reformations, 1500-1598 AD

5The British Empire, 1583-1960 AD

6The Peasants' Revolt

7Religion in the Middle Ages

8Slavery, 1619-1833 AD

9The English Civil War, 1642-1660

10The Industrial Revolution, 1750-1840

11US Independence, 1775-1783

12The French Revolution, 1789-1815

13The British Empire, 1857–1930

14Suffrage

15World War 1, 1914-1918

16The Inter-War Years, 1919-1939

17World War 2, 1939-1945

18The Cold War, 1947-1962

19Civil Rights in the USA, 1954-1975

Go student ad image

Unlock your full potential with GoStudent tutoring

  • Affordable 1:1 tutoring from the comfort of your home

  • Tutors are matched to your specific learning needs

  • 30+ school subjects covered

Book a free trial lesson