Abolition of slavery (2)

Preparation and Planning

The 'Abolition of Slavery' lesson can be used to complement the following lesson which focuses on the role of the Royal Navy in suppressing the Slave Trade.

The subject of this lesson should be handled with care and sensitivity. The historical sources feature language that might be seen as racist and offensive when used today. Care should be taken to ensure that students understand this language is not acceptable in modern society. You should refer to the racism policy in place at your own school to ensure that students fully understand that these references should only occur in the context of this lesson and seek guidance on ways to tackle possible comments of a racist or prejudicial nature arising during this lesson.

About the MOD Topic

Abolition of the Slave Trade and the role of the Royal Navy:
Britain went from being the most active slave-trading country at the turn of the 19th century to showing aggressive opposition to the trade in only a few generations. Factors that pushed Britain to turn against slavery were numerous - economic, revolutionary, political, social, and religious. The history of British abolition - first of the Slave Trade and then of slavery - involved the campaigning efforts of key individuals and the mobilisation of the British people.

In 1807, Great Britain abolished its Slave Trade. Parliament's decision was made in response to strong public feeling at a time when Britain had by far the largest share of what was an extremely profitable trade. This occurred in spite of fears about the damage that might be done to the prosperity of cities like Bristol and Liverpool and to British colonies in the West Indies. A series of serious slave rebellions also contributed to the view that the trade should be ended. Between 1655 - 1813 there were 16 serious slave rebellions in Jamaica. A rebellion on St Dominique in 1791 which ended slavery on the island was also having repercussions on other islands as news of this successful uprising encouraged further revolts.

While the 1807 Act made trading in slaves illegal, there had been little consideration about how best to enforce the legislation. A quarter of all Africans who were enslaved in the period 1500-1870 were transported across the Atlantic after 1807. The Atlantic Slave Trade was not extinguished in a few years, as many had hoped.

Prior to the Act of 1807 that abolished the British Slave Trade, the Royal Navy was, inevitably, involved in the trade itself, with the function of protecting Britain's national interests at sea.

Within three years the Slave Trade under the British flag had been effectively suppressed and the resilience of the British economy was proving itself as traders quickly adapted to the changing environment. Although one trade was now closed to them, Britain now commanded the seas, and the ending of the Napoleonic Wars opened up numerous markets for British enterprise.

The withdrawal of Britain from the Slave Trade was not enough to halt it, or even substantially reduce its volume, since other countries were quick to take Britain's place. Public opinion demanded stronger action, and it became the settled policy of the British Government to bring an end to the Slave Trade worldwide. The Royal Navy was its principal instrument in this campaign, but the Royal Navy had no legal right in peacetime to intercept the ships of any other nation. Only piracy put a ship outside the protection of international law, for pirates were 'hostis humani generis' - at war with all mankind. With many nations agreeing on the evils of the Slave Trade, if not necessarily of slavery itself, the obvious solution was to obtain an international convention equating slave trading with piracy, allowing the warships of any nation to attack slave traders, or stop and search suspected ships.

Britain made the Slave Trade a major issue at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, but some countries were unwilling to give up the Slave Trade and others were suspicious of British motives in desiring the right of search, fearing that Britain would use it to confirm her own maritime supremacy, harass traders of other nations and give advantage to her own.
British diplomats began the long process of negotiating individual treaties with other European powers and with local rulers in Africa, which would give the Royal Navy the authority to intercept suspected slavers and the Royal Navy settled into one of the longest and hardest campaigns in its history.

Between 1808 and 1867 approximately 1,635 slave ships were captured and condemned and 150,000 Africans liberated. It would take two generations much effort, and much suffering to put an end to the transatlantic Slave Trade, and considerably longer to all but eradicate it worldwide.

The Royal Navy West Africa Squadron:
The Royal Navy began an anti-slavery patrol in 1808 following Britain's decision to abolish its Slave Trade in 1807. The unit was brought under independent command of Commodore Sir George Ralph Collier in 1819 with a naval station created in West Africa.

Between 1808 and 1860, the Royal Navy, West Africa Squadron seized approximately 1,600 ships involved in the Slave Trade and freed 150,000 enslaved Africans who were aboard these vessels.

Although the Royal Navy is estimated to have captured no more than 10% of the ships involved in the Slave Trade, the consistent role of the West Africa Squadron can be argued to have exerted considerable pressure on the nations that continued to trade in slaves after 1807.

Life in the West Africa Squadron:
There were few benefits to serving in the West Africa Squadron. Daily life was tedious, there were little chances of promotion and disease was common. The dangers of the coastal climate were exacerbated by the operational necessity of the men travelling through rivers and swamps in boats, and many suffered from fevers. Moreover, the boats of the Squadron were unsuited to their task and often easily out-run by the vessels of the slavers.

Sailors deployed to the West Coast of Africa would have been filled with trepidation. Known as the White Man's Grave, it consisted of hundreds of miles of mosquito-plagued shoreline, rivers and jungle, with few anchorages which were safe from both the ocean and disease.

Chances to go ashore were few and far between because of the risk of disease. Malaria and yellow fever, both transmitted through mosquito bites, and dysentery took their toll and between 1825-1845 the percentage of sailors who died of disease on the West Africa station was greater than any other; in one year the squadron lost 25% of its strength, mainly due to disease.

Between 1830-1865, approximately 1,587 men died on the West Africa Squadron (this covers deaths from all causes: disease, killed in action and accidental deaths).

Key figures on the Squadron:

Cheesman Henry Binstead (1797 - 1876):
Binstead served on the West Africa station between 1823 and 1824, initially as Midshipman and later as Acting Lieutenant. He served on HMS Owen Glendower, which was the Commodore's flagship, and performed anti-slavery duties on the coast of Africa. Binstead's diary describes in detail his work.

Binstead's diary entries show us how frustrating service on the Squadron could be, as the actions of the British Navy to detain and search foreign ships were constrained by the different treaties with other nations involved in the Slave Trade. Service on the Squadron was often dull and the unfamiliar climate took a heavy toll on the sailors, as they caught many diseases unknown at the time. Whilst serving on shore at Cape Coast Castle, Binstead witnessed the death of several servicemen on the squadron, including that of Sir Robert Mends, who died of a fever onboard the Owen Glendower in 1823. By the time the Owen Glendower returned to England, Binstead was one of the few surviving original crewmembers.

Captain Hon. Joseph Denman (1810 - 1874):
Captain Joseph Denman has been described as one of the most successful and passionate officers to serve on the West Africa Squadron and he has been credited with improving the efficiency of the Squadron more than any other serving officer.

In 1840, he was ordered to rescue two British subjects being held in lieu of a debt by King Seacca of the Gallinas. After lengthy negotiation with the King, Denman secured both the release of the two prisoners and the King's agreement to a treaty that abolished the Slave Trade throughout his dominions. The treaty allowed Denman to liberate 841 slaves. He secured these slaves during a three-day action, in which he also destroyed all the barracoons on the banks of the river and which almost cost him his career when he was sued by one of the Spanish slavers for damages.

In 1843, Denman drew up the Instructions for the Use of Officers Engaged in the Suppression of the Slave Trade and consistently argued to improve the tactics and the material of the Squadron. His father, Lord Chief Justice Denman, was an abolitionist, who consistently defended the actions of the Navy and their efforts to suppress the Slave Trade. Denman ended his career as an admiral in command of the Pacific Squadron.

Source of information relating to West Africa squadron: Royal Naval Museum. Chasing Freedom Exhibition. www.royalnavalmuseum.org

Further Opportunities for Learning

Students can investigate some of the British abolitionists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries including those who wrote anti-slavery poems, novels, and plays.

Students can create a web blog for a fictitious character in the West Africa Squadron using the support notes and the slides containing extracts of Binstead's diary as stimulus.

Students can be encouraged to take an aspect of the Slave Trade (for example the role of the Royal Navy, key abolitionist figures etc) and create a 5 minute presentation for their classmates.

Encourage students to participate in a role-play exercise - depicting life for the crew onboard one of the ships in the Royal Navy West Africa Squadron.

Students to investigate modern day examples of slavery as part of a homework or extension activity.

Student worksheet answers

Download the teachers notes PDF to access the answers for this lesson.