Sociology

Slavery was a very controversial institution around the sixteenth century that had a major impact on the world at one time. It was necessary for the economies of many of the colonial Western powers at the time it was in vogue and contributed to many power struggles as well as wars that saw many people perish in battle as well as due to diseases and malnutrition. It had particular impact on the African continent as the constant flow of people to Americas and Europe as well as the colonies in the Caribbean made for a profitable business for warlords, who aimed to get as many slaves as possible. Portugal and Spain were at one time the biggest powers involved in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade while the British were also fairly involved. The virtually free labor of the slaves is said to have powered the industrial revolution in Europe and their trade was said to have been immensely profitable such that the colonial powers decided to concentrate on it as opposed to minerals and other resources. Britain was ultimately at the centre of the abolition movement and in banning slavery. Analyzing the reasons for this requires going into greater depths of the issue (Jennings 1997).

Although the slave trade was very profitable, there was always a group by the name of the Quakers in Europe that was fundamentally opposed to the institution of slavery and saw it as immoral. They had slowly grown in number and by the early nineteenth century, they were able to wield substantial power in the parliament in Britain. This group, under the leadership of William Wilberforce and a host of other important people in the House of Commons and Lords acted to pass the Slave Trade Act of 1807. This was historical at the time as all the major powers were involved in the trade at the time and Britain itself was an important naval power that had considerable influence on the seas. Thus after this bill was passed, slave trade was banned in Britain and any territories it controlled and the strong British navy acted to stop any ships from doing so. The law was so severely executed that ships carrying slaves were fired upon, declared as pirates and the captured crews were normally executed. This severe measure slowly led to other colonial powers eventually banning slave trade as well which ultimately led to the abolition of the institution itself.

Although Britain had a significant part in this, it can not be credited completely with carrying out a wholly benevolent act. The industrial revolution in Britain was in great part founded on slave labor and the profits generated in their industries led to sweat and blood of African slaves, not only in the colonies but on the island itself. It was also fairly active in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, reaping profits from the triangular trade as well and leading to wars on the African continent. Furthermore, some academics argue that by the time the British decided to ban the slave trade, it had become unprofitable and was a natural decision to follow. This is particularly backed up by the fact that they did not ban the institution of slavery itself but only acted to stop the slave trade, which was an indirect stepping stone for the former. Once the trade was banned, the British followed it up by taking strict action against the trade on the seas by utilizing its powerful navy. This can also be viewed in terms of economics as the colonial powers were in constant commercial competition and thus the English wanted to stop the Portuguese, Spanish and others from reaping profits from the slave trade, which would otherwise have contributed to their industries becoming uncompetitive and hence find it harder to compete with similar European products. This was the case with sugar initially as the British struggled at one point to compete with cheap sugar produced by the French. This was complimented by action against African warlords and kings who refused to enforce anti slavery laws in their realms which hit at the foundation of the trade, ultimately dealing it a killing blow. However, the moral uprightness of the actions comes into question seeing that the institution itself remained a clear reality in the colonies controlled by the British.

Thus it can be concluded that the British were at the centre of the changes that eventually led to the abolition of slavery. They initiated the process via the Slave Trade Act of 1807 which hit at the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the strict enforcement in the form of special squadrons and deadly punishments pushed the other powers to ban the trade as well. However, it can be argued that it was done for commercial reasons, fearing the uncompetitive industry it may produce in British colonies and the foregone advantages that were accompanying an unprofitable slave trade for the colonial power. Slavery itself was not abolished either which lends credibility to this argument. However, it has to be recognized that the actions of the British were still the main factor that prompted abolitionists to gain ground eventually.