Abolition

For more than 200 years Britain was at the heart of a lucrative transatlantic trade in millions of enslaved Africans. But by 1807 the practice had been banned. How did this happen?

The Unsung Heroes of Abolition

Parliamentarians, women, slave revolt leaders and Quakers all played their part. Who are the lost champions of the abolition campaign? By Adam Hochschild.

• Historic Figure - Thomas Clarkson
• Historic Figure - Olaudah Equiano
• Historic Figure - William Wilberforce
• Historic Figure - Granville Sharp
• The Tools of the Abolitionists by Mike Kaye
• William Wilberforce: The Real Abolitionist? by Adam Hochschild
• Women: From Abolition to the Vote by Elizabeth Crawford
• The Black Figure in 18th-century Art by David Dabydeen
• Driving Change Through Parliament by Stephen Farrell

The Abolition of British Slavery - Interactive Map

Explore events in Africa, the Caribbean and the UK with audio, text and images, by Adam Hochschild

• The Business of Enslavement by Nigel Pocock and Victoria Cook
• Africa and the Transatlantic Slave Trade by Dr Hakim Adi
• The Royal Navy and the Battle to End Slavery by Huw Lewis-Jones
• The Church: Enslaver or Liberator? by Richard Reddie

Stereotypical Representations of Black People in Modern Western Societies

Black people have been portrayed in Western societies in a variety of stereotypical ways since the demise of slavery. By Professor Jan Nederveen Pieterse

• Slavery and the Building of Britain by James Walvin
• Enslavement and Industrialisation by Robin Blackburn
• Slavery and the 'Scramble for Africa' by Dr Saul David

Your Local Slave Trade History

Statues, street names, meeting houses and docks all hold clues to the history of the slave trade in your area.

• Researching African & Caribbean Family History - Tracing your ancestry back to the Caribbean, by Guy Grannum
• Your Photos - Browse a facinating archive of photographs.
• Colin Jackson - How Colin's family history took him back to the Caribbean.
• Moira Stuart - A moving story of Moira's associations with abolition in the Caribbean.