Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

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slavery

Abolitionists

on both sides of the Atlantic, Quakers, evangelical

Christians, and liberal thinkers fought to abolish slavery.

in britain, Granville sharp and William Wilberforce

(1759-1833) founded the Antislavery society in 1787-88.

Members campaigned for the abolition of slavery and the

freeing of all slaves. As part of the campaign, pottery

owner Josiah Wedgwood produced a special medal. in 1833,

the slavery Abolition Act freed slaves in the british Empire.

Cotton

African slave laborers were made to grow sugar in

brazil and the Caribbean. later, tobacco was

also grown. by the late 1700s, there were huge

cotton plantations in north America and the

british textile industry began to flourish,

stimulating the industrial Revolution.

Cotton was made into cloth

in Glasgow and Manchester.

olAudAh EQuiAno

Africans themselves played a part in the

antislavery movement. one of the best-known

African antislavery campaigners was olaudah

Equiano (1745-97). born in nigeria, he was

captured with his sister when he was 11, and

taken to britain as a servant. his

autobiography was influential and is

one of the earliest important works by

an African written in English.

Africa, history of

Civil war

industrial revolution

tubman, harriet

united states, history of

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slAvERy And WEAlt h

England dominated the

slave trade, and some

british cities became very

rich as a result. bristol

and liverpool, for

instance, imported

goods such as sugar

and tobacco produced

by slaves in the West

indies. ships from both

cities carried slaves from

Africa to American plantations.

GRAnvillE shARp

in 1772, british clerk Granville sharp defended

a black immigrant named James somerset in a

legal case known as the somerset Case. this

established that slavery was not recognized in

britain, and a slave who stepped on british soil

was automatically free. the ruling was seen as

officially abolishing slavery in England.

AntislAvERy MovEMEnt

in 1840, a World Antislavery

Convention took place in

london, with delegates

from the united states.

Women took an active

part in the abolition

movement, often

linking their

situation with that

of slaves. American

feminists lucretia

Mott (1793-1880)

and susan b.

Anthony (1820-1906)

were leading campaigners.

Ships in Bristol harbor

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