Interpretations of the Slave Trade

History: KS3, topic 9.1.8

Interpretation of the Slave Trade

The Slave Trade is rightly condemned as a horrendous atrocity. It is considered a crime against humanity.

In the traditional interpretation, people blame the slave traders as being evil people.
Morally, capturing and selling people into a life of slavery is awful.
Parliament and governments were slow to abolish the slave trade and slavery. In the 1600s, Parliament granted British companies monopolies on the slave trade.
In the 1960s, a revisionist interpretation became popular. These historians questioned established interpretations because they were created by Abolitionists (and were biased).
Some have highlighted the role of African rulers. Some rulers actively sold their own citizens to slave traders for goods.

Slavery has been a focus for films and books.
- Roots by Alex Haley was very popular. This book was converted into a TV series in 1977.
- Twelve Years A Slave presents the story from the slave’s perspective.

Some people argue that Britain should compensate African communities (pay money as a way to show responsibility for suffering that the British involvement in the slave trade caused).
But, there is a debate over whether society should apologise and pay compensation (or reparations) for the actions of ancestors hundreds of years ago.