Starter quiz
- 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 ________.
- 'intolerable' ✓
- 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
- the Zong massacre ✓
- slave owners' testimony
- Olaudah Equiano's autobiography ✓
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- Match the key figures and features of abolition to the correct description.
- William Wilberforce⇔British Member of Parliament and abolitionist ✓
- Toussaint L’Ouverture⇔leader of the Haitian Revolution ✓
- Olaudah Equiano⇔formerly enslaved man who published his autobiography ✓
- Zong⇔a slave ship on which a massacre of enslaved people occurred ✓
- 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?
- 'habeas corpus' ✓
- The Zong massacre intensified opposition to enslavement amongst the British public. What happened in this event?
- 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.
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- In which year was the Slave Trade Act passed by the British government?
- 1607
- 1707
- 1807 ✓
- 1907
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Exit quiz
- 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.
- 'tyranny' ✓
- Which two people led the British abolition movement at the end of the 18th century, and the beginning of the 19th?
- Olaudah Equiano ✓
- William Wilberforce ✓
- Toussaint L'Ouverture
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- Match the colonies below to the empire they were controlled by for the vast majority of the 18th century.
- Saint-Domingue⇔France ✓
- Jamaica and Barbados⇔Great Britain ✓
- Santo Domingo⇔Spain ✓
- What did the 1807 Slave Trade Act outlaw?
- buying enslaved people within the British Empire ✓
- selling enslaved people within the British Empire ✓
- transporting enslaved people within the British Empire ✓
- owning enslaved people who were acquired prior to the Slave Trade Act
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- 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.
- Which two adjectives best describe the idea of enslavement, from a human rights perspective?
- humane
- inhumane ✓
- tolerable
- acceptable
- unacceptable ✓
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Britain had been fighting a war against Napoleon since 1793 - the aftermath of the execution of Louis XVI of France.
- Many Britons believed their fight was for freedom against tyranny; enslavement was seen as tyranny not freedom.
- Other Britons drew comparisons between poor working conditions at home and the plight of enslaved people on plantations.
- The 1807 Slave Trade Act banned the buying, selling and transportation of enslaved humans throughout the British Empire.
- 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
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