Slavery Resources

Detail of slave in chains	William Wilberforce	Usifu Jalloh

General Background

A great deal of the wealth of the United Kingdom, other European countries (and the United States) was created on the back of the evils of the slave trade.

Millions of black people were taken by force from their homes in Africa and transported halfway across the world to live their lives as slaves of the generally white population.

This trade in human cargo and the exploitation of free labour from Africa started in the 1400's and continued well into the late 1800's. Many fortunes were made and many of the fine buildings or estates we can see in the United Kingdom were financed by the slave trade.

It is not a subject that has tended to fill the history books of those nations that exploited the suffering of others for their own gain.

However the sorry tale will be brought into focus as the 200th year anniversary of the abolition of the triangular slave trade in the United Kingdom and colonies will be commemorated in 2007.

Slavery is potentially a difficult subject to address. It can generate anger, shame, guilt, high emotion and frustration over lost identity/roots.

The views of black communities may be very different dependent upon individual perspective and generational experience.

Music for Change is sensitive to these issues, but has always believed that creating an awareness and understanding of different cultures and their development can only promote greater harmony between cultures in the long run.

The forced migrations of the African peoples did not destroy their love of music and dance. Indeed, preservation of their music, story-telling and dance was an important feature in their resistance and rebellion.

Music, dance and stories from Africa and the Caribbean can enhance and explain the issues of slavery and the impact of its legacy.

Do think about how our inspirational artists from Africa and the Caribbean can help you achieve your objectives through a workshop or a performance.

Probably the best single teacher’s resource available is the Understanding Slavery website but we have reproduced below links to many sites worthy of exploration.

“We are almost a nation of dancers, musicians and poets. Thus every great event... is celebrated in public dances which are accompanied with songs and music suited to the occasion."

There are some tremendous resources on the web about the slave trade. We have researched what is available and chosen what we think are a good representative selection of links. We hope that teachers will find this helpful. We cannot take responsibility for the accuracy of the texts on this and other sites, but we have taken reasonable care in trying to ensure the sources are reputable.

• What is the slave trade and where did it happen?
• What was it like to be a slave?
• Who were the early key figures in the abolition movement?
• William Wilberforce and the parliamentary process
• Music, song and dance of the slave cultures
• Interesting, disturbing and unusual facts
  

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What is the slave trade and where did it happen?

The Transatlantic slave trade, which formed the greatest part of the total trade, consisted of three journeys:

1. The first from Europe to Africa carrying goods manufactured in Europe.
2. The second from Africa to the Americas or the Caribbean carrying primarily African captives.
3. The homeward journey carrying sugar, tobacco, rum, rice, cotton and other goods back to Europe.

Moors plundering a village for slaves

You can see a graphic of the trade routes by visiting the National Maritime Museum site.

This site also has a Timeline showing the span of time covering the trade

Its also worth visiting a wonderful site called Breaking the Silence from Anti-Slavery International where you will see the involvement of all the countries involved in the slave trade.

Many parts of English society were involved in the slave trade, from the Royal Family and leading politicians to the Banks. There are also references to some churches taking an active role in the earlier times of the trade.

Major English cities grew wealthy on the trade, in particular, Liverpool and Bristol. London also played a significant role. Even after the abolition of the slave trade Britain continued to profit enormously from slavery, most obviously from slave-grown cotton (USA) and sugar (Cuba) until the 1880s. It is interesting to speculate what Lancashire would now be like without the trade.

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What was it like to be a slave?

Some graphic descriptions of what it was like to be a slave are contained in the writings of the prominent black men and women which are featured in the next section.

The horrors of being transported across the world in the conditions of the time are almost unimaginable, but a number of sites have tried to replicate the conditions endured by slaves less than 200 years ago. Aboard a Slave Ship 1829 details life on a slaver in 1829.

Hell below decks is a more general description of life aboard a slave ship.

Pictures of slave ships and the Atlantic crossing

Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On…picture by Turner

When, and if, the slaves arrived in their new "home" it was likely that they were forced to work on plantations. In the West Indies, slaves were not deemed to be human, but were “goods” and were treated as such. They could be beaten to death without a second thought except for consideration of how much a replacement would cost.

Even many years after the 1807 abolition of the slave trade in the United Kingdom, the conditions imposed upon slaves in the United States were extremely harsh, as illustrated by this interactive display.

Pictures of agricultural and plantation labour

Slavery did not disappear in 1807, and indeed it is still with us, but the legislation in that year was an important milestone in removing the institutionalised trade in the United Kingdom. Subsequent efforts for a complete global ban on the trade and the full freedom of slaves, came that much sooner.

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Who were the early key figures in the abolition movement?

There were three black men who achieved prominence in the United Kingdom through their writing. Their lives have been excellently illustrated on the website of author and lecturer Brycchan Carey.

We have also included a link to the activities of the black slave Frederick Douglass who carried the American abolitionist cause to these shores in the 1840’s.

Olaudah Equiano

The most influential former slave in the abolitionist movement was Olaudah Equiano who was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery. Equiano recounted his extraordinary life, including how he purchased his freedom, in his autobiography , published in 1789. He used his book, which was reprinted 17 times in his lifetime, in his campaigns around Britain and Ireland for the abolition of the slave trade and slavery.

His fame brought him wealth. He married an Englishwoman and you can see the marriage certificate here and read about his later life. He died in 1797.

Ottobah Cugoano

Born in what is present day Ghana, Ottobah Cugoano was taken as a slave to the West Indies but later brought to England where he obtained his freedom. He wrote powerfully in his memoirs (published in 1787) about the injustices of the slave trade.

An extract from Cugoano's biography illustrates the brutality and misery of the slave trade.

Ignatius Sancho

Ignatius Sancho, given away as a “gift” when he was a very young child, grew up in Greenwich and eventually obtained his freedom. He wrote many letters to the newspapers and composed and published music. This was uncomfortable for the defenders of the slave trade who argued that slaves were different and had no humanity and sophistication.

Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was an American escaped slave who came to Great Britain for an abolitionist lecture tour in 1845. He returned to the United States in 1847 after 300 lectures.

Granville Sharp

Granville Sharp was brought into contact with slavery when he and his brother looked after a slave that had been badly beaten. He was a campaigning man and a Quaker (as many abolitionists were) and subsequently took up many of the legal issues in English courts on behalf of slaves.

He was one of the earliest campaigners and he worked with both Clarkson and Wilberforce and was the Chairman of the London Committee.

One of his reports on progress in 1794 is reproduced here.

Thomas Clarkson

Thomas Clarkson was one of the major figures in the abolitionist movement and campaigned tirelessly throughout his life. He was the source of much of the evidence that Wilberforce used in taking the abolition cause before Parliament.

Clarkson's writings were very influential, both in the United Kingdom and abroad and copies of his books can be downloaded from here.

An interesting example of a school project to promote a local hero is provided by Holbrook High in Suffolk.

John Newton

John Newton served on and later owned a slave ship. He became a clergyman in 1764 and used his earlier experience to good effect in campaigning against the slave trade. His history is told very well in the Cowper and Newton Museum site.

Perhaps Newton's greatest legacy is the very famous hymn he wrote called Amazing Grace the words for which can be found here.

Newton was influential in keeping Wilberforce to his faith and a narrative of Newton’s own conversion was published in 1764.

Prominent women

Mary Prince

Mary Prince was the first black woman to write and publish her memoirs of her life as a slave. This followed her escape to freedom after she came to London in 1828 with her "master" and his family.

Elizabeth Heyrick

Although the abolition of the slave trade occurred as far as direct British involvement was concerned in 1807, it did not cease as far as the British colonies were concerned. Separate and protracted campaigns ensued and one of the major female figures was Elizabeth Heyrick who wanted to get on with total abolition at a faster pace than her male abolitionist colleagues.

She formed the Birmingham Ladies Society for the Relief of Negro Slaves and in 1824 published her very influential booklet "Immediate not gradual abolition."

She, with other prominent ladies, eventually influenced her male colleagues sufficiently to advance the total abolition.

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William Wilberforce and the parliamentary process

William Pitt

William Pitt was Great Britain's youngest Prime Minister when he took office in 1783 aged 24. He was a great friend of William Wilberforce and Wilberforce's diary records that he was with Pitt at his home, Holwood, in Kent when they together resolved to bring forward a Bill for the abolition of slavery.

This event was commemorated in 1788 under the oak tree which came to be known as the Wilberforce Oak.

William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce was a key figure in the abolition of slavery in the United Kingdom, he was one of a number who worked together to achieve that objective. It is also important to acknowledge the role that former slaves played in bringing knowledge of this barbaric trade into the public domain. But it was Wilberforce who steered through the parliamentary process without which the enforcement process could not begin.

Wilberforce’s conversion to Christianity following his study of William Law's book, "A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life"was a most significant event in his life.

The City of Hull was Wilberforce's birthplace and you can view his house here. An exciting re-development of the Wilberforce House Museum is currently under way and it will re-open next year.

The power of Wilberforce's rhetoric can be judged from Reports of Wilberforce’s 1789 abolition speech as recorded by two commentators of the day.

He did not succeed in his quest for abolition for many years but during that time, he did receive notable support from many people, including women writers such as Anna Lætitia Barbauld and also poets, including William Cowper (1731-1800).

There are many histories of Wilberforce on the web here and two that may be of particular interest are: William Wilberforce/ 1769 - 1833, and A Web of English history.

On 25 March 1807 the historic Bill for the abolition of the slave trade was given the Royal Assent.

John Wesley

John Wesley the founder of the Methodist Church was against slavery throughout his life and only 6 days before his death had been reading the work of Olaudah Equiano. He wrote to Wilberforce encouraging him to keep up the fight. A copy of this letter is available on-line.

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Music, song and dance of the slave cultures

General Background

Images of pre-slavery music and dance

• Musicians from the Congo
• Queen Nzinga and musicians
• Queen Nzinga with her entourage
• Queen Nzinga and a drummer
• West African Musicians
• Slave music
• Music, dance and recreational activity
• The social background to African music.
• A UNESCO student project on slave music.
• National Geographic article tracing America’s cultural roots.

Music

Jazz was created from field shouts, hymns, black work songs and spirituals. The African drum rhythms played an important part in its creation.

• The impact of slave music on jazz in the USA.
• The history of jazz.
• The impact of African music on American swingdance such as the Black Bottom or the Charleston.
• A summary of the development of slave music in Brazil.

Song

Song was an integral part of the lives of the African slaves and accompanied working in the fields, celebrating harvests and religious festivals. The particular songs reflecting the different occasions for use.

Voices from the days of slavery recorded by the Library of Congress.

How slave songs included coded messages.

The development of the spirituals of the Southern Church in the United States.

Chanteys or shanties.

African American secular slave songs.
The Blues developed in distinctly African ways that set it apart from European musical traditions. Features such as:

• Improvisation and “call and response” singing
• Emphasizing rhythm and using significant tone or changes in pitch to change meaning
• Emphasizing lyrics and vocal expression with instrument imitating voice and vice versa

The history of Blues Music

Slave song from Barbados

Dance

The Free to Dance Timeline shows the development of black dance based on African traditions in the United States and includes a number of streaming video dance clips.

An example of a school project based on slave dance from Africa.

A history of Cuban dance and music.

Clothing and jewellery of dancing women in Sierra Leone

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Interesting, disturbing and unusual facts

Links to racism today

Many commentators consider that much of the racism that exists today derives from the endemic, ignorant, prejudices of earlier centuries. One such commentary is on the helpful website set up by a range of English churches to commemorate 2007. Indeed the Set All Free website does look as if it will become one of the “must read” websites covering commemorative events in the United Kingdom.

Evidence of how the slaves fought back

The slaves did not passively accept their fates. There is much evidence to show that despite being at an extreme disadvantage in terms of the means to resist, all sorts of resistance were shown.

• Revolt on the slave ships.
• General resistance
• Detailed account

One of the most interesting stories of a slave revolt occurred on the Spanish coastal trader La Amistad in 1839 and the story is told very graphically in the Steven Spielberg film Amistad and the historical detail is provided in the illuminating website of AMISTAD America.

The impact upon Africa itself

The ripping out from the heart of Africa of the most able of its population had a dramatic impact on the development of the various nations. Some thoughts on the effects are contained here.

The tale of Harriet Jacobs

Documents and letters outlining the story of the escaped American slave Harriet Jacobs from the 1830s onwards.

The American experience

It took almost another 60 years after the Wilberforce success in Parliament for the United States to legislate federally for the abolition of slavery. But the situation was different in the various States of America. Go here for an excellent overview of the whole American experience.

The Library of Congress have a similarly impressive site.

The American Abolitionism site contains a brief history of the abolitionist movement in America.

The Amistad site provides another fine resource.

Slavery today

Slavery, unfortunately, is not a thing of the past. It exists today and for an explanation of what is still going on then please visit the Anti-slavery International website.

Places with Wilberforce connections

• Wilberforce Memorial School for the Blind
• Wilberforce Colony (Canada)
• Wilberforce University USA
• Wilberforce 6th Form College
• The Wilberforce School (New Jersey)
• Wilberforce (Australia)

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Bicentanary Links

The set all free project is run by Churches Together in England who are working to commemorate the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 2007.