What is abolition of slave trade?
Abolition of slave trade: Refers to the state of stopping selling and buying human being (slaves) as a commodities in the markets.
Britain was the first nation to establish abolition of slave trade campaign due to industrial revolution. In 1833, Britain abolished slavery, in 1865 U.S.A also abolished and the total abolition of slave trade in East Africa took place during the colonial period.
REASONS FOR THE ABOLITION OF SLAVE TRADE
ECONOMIC REASONS
1. The impact of industrial revolution in Europe 1750: Normally this has replaced human labour hence slave become unprofitable again to British capitalist systems. Therefore industrial revolution contributed to the abolition of slave trade through the following reasons :-
i. Need for cheap labour: for growing of raw materials
ii. Need for markets: due to the industrial revolution, there was increased production of industrial products in Europe that lacked enough demand; this forced the British to abolish slave trade so that markets can be created in Africa for their manufactured goods.
iii. Need for raw materials: due to the industrial revolution, there was increased demand for raw materials in Britain. The existing raw materials were limited to supply due to the mushrooming of industries. This situation necessitated the abolition of the slave trade so that Africans can produce the needed raw materials.
iv. The use of machines, the industrial revolution was characterized by the use of machines in the production process, these machines replaced human labor. The owners of the machines campaigned for the abolition of the slave trade because slave labor had become redundant.
v. Finding areas for investment of their surplus capital: The capitalists in order to secure and easy to be accepted in different parts of the world, they decided to initiates slave trade abolition campaigns.
2. Sugar competition in the markets between French and British: for so long period, the British had a monopoly on sugar in the European market. The sugar was produced by slave labor in the British West Indies. The British was selling their sugar at very high prices thus making huge profits. However, by the end of the 18thC, the French West Indies and re union islands were producing sugar in large quantities and selling at a cheaper price thus making more profits than the British. This situation made slave labor in British West Indies useless thus forcing the British to abolish the slave trade.
SOCIAL REASONS
3. The role played by philosophers: The rise of men with new humanistic ideas like Prof. Adam Smith, David Ricardo (challenged the economic arguments that were the basis of slave trade when he argued convincingly that hired labor is cheaper and more productive than slave labor, Rousseau spread the idea of personal liberty and equality of all men.
4. Humanitarian movements, the humanitarians such as Granville sharp and Thomas Clarkson played a certain role in the abolition of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. These people argued that slave trade had caused a lot of suffering to the people thus it had to be abolished. These efforts were followed by British declarations of 1807 and 1833 which abolished slave trade and slavery. Example: William Wilberforce.
5. Religious reasons: the religious bodies contributed to the abolition of the slave trade in Africa. They argued that slave trade was against the will of God because he had created all people equal but slave trade was treating Africans as an inferior class. The Christians denounced slave trade in the name of God and argued that it must be abolished. E.g William Wilber Force.
POLITICAL FACTORS
6. French revolution of 1789: the French revolution of 1789 had a role to play in the abolition of the slave trade. The slogan of the revolution was fraternity, liberty and equality. Philosophers such as Rousseau campaigned for the abolition of slave trade. These philosophers claimed that slave trade was against the ideals of the French revolution thus it had to be stopped.
7. The American independence in 1776: it has led to the closely of slave market in Brazil and moreover it has contributed to the development of black nationalistic movements in America such Pan African movement, hence it contributed to the abolition of slave trade.
