Africa

This source is from a magazine and focuses on the abolishment of the transatlantic slave trade of Britain in 1807 and comparisons to other countries with a focus on America. The purpose of the source is to communicate to its intended audience which is the general public that is Britain abolishing the slave trade worth it when countries such as Spain and America still exploit it.

Within the source there is a case for universal abolition which is showing the British position in either two cases, either for the freedom of the downtrodden or that they are starting to feel an economic impact abroad after the abolition of the slave trade. The source targets America using the case of Edward Huggins who was a slave owner who killed one of his slaves for disobeying his command  which was seen as a “Forbidden” command by working overnight as well as the Amedie Ship controversy.

The source is very credible at looking at the British view in early 1812 between UK-USA relations but does not have the hindsight of the War of 1812 which would become more beneficial.

Retrieved from and including further information from http://www.jstor.org.liverpool.idm.oclc.org/stable/30072962.


Nations Transporting Slaves From Africa: 1501-1867

It is an accurate claim to make that every country in Europe that had an Atlantic coastline (Britain, France, Spain and Portugal) had key dominance in the slave trade. Throughout the period of the slave trade it is a fair assumption to make that slaves were treated in the same way in which material items would be such as coal, sugar and in more recent history oil.

The slave trade has thought to originate in 1501 due to vessels crossing the Atlantic from Spain beginning to carry some African captives. The slave trade can be seen from coming in three different sections, these are the domination of Iberian powers being Spain and Portugal followed by a North European dominance which ended at the turn of the nineteenth century leading to disengagement of the slave trade ending in the middle of the nineteenth century.

In the first period before 1642 Iberian power dominated over the slave trade. With evidence of Spanish domination in 1501 it was estimated Spanish/Uruguayan ships carried around 6,400 slaves per ship at the start of the 17th century largely heading towards the Caribbean and Brazil. This was with help from the Portuguese who controlled Brazil dominating most of this area whilst the Spanish would control further towards Central America.

By the middle of the seventeenth century this takes a drastic turn with the second stage of the slave trade with the Northern European powers headed by Britain getting involved in the slave trade and lead to a huge expansion of the slave trade with the end of the eighteenth century being at its highest figure hitting over two million slaves being transported.

When looking into the conditions of the slave trade there is the claim that can be put forward that there was no morality within the slave trade at the beginning as the conditions with them being unable to see, “Neither Sun or Moon”, with most arriving “Like skeletons” before the changing of conditions in trade such as British ships and complete abolition of the trade in 1868.

When looking into the 1868 abolition it must be remembered that this came from a gradual change rather than sudden with Britain starting to leave at the back-end of the eighteenth century taking a huge percentage of the slave trade with the passing of the Foreign Trade Act in 1806 and abolition of the slave trade in 1807.

For further information, visit https://www-jstor-org.liverpool.idm.oclc.org/stable/j.ctt5vm1s4.7?refreqid=excelsior%3A53ef53921dac71276efe11e90f35cbe6&seq=5#metadata_info_tab_contents

This image is from a sketchbook design from a first-hand account on a Royal Anti-slavery Navy ship. This is took on a captured Spanish ship called ‘The Albanoz’ in which it shows that the slaves had been liberated but not freed yet.

Despite this being a rescue, it is on a slave ship so is able to show a portrayal in which is not shown by many that of the underprivileged, underappreciated, downtrodden and the bottom of society.

Despite the former slaves being able to move around with the lack of chains being portrayed tying them down but the positioning of the individuals in the picture show how bad the conditions were in the ships with overcrowding as well as being under the ship. This picture is if nothing else unique for showcasing a side of the transatlantic slave Trade which is not looked into.

For further information, go to https://collections.rmg.co.uk/archive/objects/510847.html

Image: View of the Deck of the Slave ship Albanoz, pencil and Water colour on paper by Lt. Francis Maynell (1846)

Ten views of the island of Antigua by William Clarke (1823)

This picture portrays the perfect juxtaposition when comparing the slave trade to the natural beauty of the Caribbean islands in which the trade occupied. The use of the workers here shows the dependence in which these islands despite their beauty have to go through due to their identity being European, this shows with the focus in which the workers have is on sugar.

This is due to sugar in the late 18th-early 19th century being traded and protected as a commodity similar to oil in most recent times. The difference in status is shown clearly in the photo with the wealthier white man on horseback whilst the workers are either on their knees or standing. The picture is a fair representation of how strong European dominance is in the middle of the 18th century.

An area which is hard to see in the image but shows a perfect image is the palm trees in the background showcasing a potential debate on fiction vs reality in that the dreams of the palm trees and relaxation are just distant nonsense. This is showcased well in Markus Rediker and Peter Linebaugh’s ‘Many Headed Hydra’ chapter one on ‘The Wreck of the Sea-Ventures’.

For further information, visit https://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/carviewsvirtex/persjour/sugarcane/012zzz0001786c9u00004000.html.