Abolition of the Slave Trade 1807 Medallion: Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/ photos/edwbaker/3907717900/ in/photostream/
The question of how legal chattel slavery in the British Empire came to an end is an important question to ask. It is far from a historical curiosity. The end of legal slavery in the British Empire potentially contains lessons on how the human rights abuses of our own time might be addressed. Given the political and commercial interests invested in the continuation of slavery and the slave trade how could change ever have come about?
Slavery in the British Empire: Hochschild
In this video, Adam Hochschild, talks about why chattel slavery in the British Empire ended. He discusses the different stories that have been told (and not told) about this history: claims of inherent national moral superiority are challenged, the role of slaves themselves and the anti-slavery movement in Britain are discussed.
Adam Hochshild is well known as the author of King Leopold’s Ghost, which accounts the story of brutal colonial slavery and exploitation in the Belgian Congo in the late nineteenth/early twentieth century. The award winning book brings to life the stories of ordinary people such as Edward Morel and others who worked to bring the oppression to an end.
Bahá’u’lláh came to emancipate human beings from slavery. This statement is true in more senses than one. Bahá’u’lláh explicitly institutes an abolition of slavery in his teachings. It is forbidden you to trade in slaves, be they men or women. It is not for him who is himself a servant to buy another of God’s servants, and this hath been prohibited in…
Humans are complex beings. The movie "Belle" (director Amma Assante) explores human complexity, particularly as it manifests in everyday human relationships. The movie is set in the late eighteenth century at the height of the transatlantic slave trade. Dido Elizabeth Belle (played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is the central character of the movie. She was born into slavery, but her father, Captain…
What is happening in America? America is in turmoil on the issue of immigration. Some describe it as the new 'civil rights' issue. Laws are being introduced across the country to mark out people who are to be excluded. These laws impact particularly on people of Latino heritage, both migrant and not. Ordinary activities such as driving a car, going to…
The sack of Rome in 410 AD hastened the emergence of a new post-Roman world and eventually, over the course of fifteen centuries, the birth of the country we now call Italy. The tale that has come through to our time of that sacking is one of uncivilised pagan German tribes - outsiders - tragically tearing down the centre of…
Yes the American Primary education sysetm is leaves a lot of stuff out that should be taught to people (and that across the board not just about African Americans)Off the top of my head the reconstruction period in American history is something that should be covered more. It was a period right after the civil war (from 1865 to 1877) it was an era of a lot of legal racial discrimination was banned and lot of African Americans excelled in areas such as politics and even business. This was end with the rise of the Klan and had to have the civil rights movement to help make things more equal in the south again.
One Comment
Mustafa
Yes the American Primary education sysetm is leaves a lot of stuff out that should be taught to people (and that across the board not just about African Americans)Off the top of my head the reconstruction period in American history is something that should be covered more. It was a period right after the civil war (from 1865 to 1877) it was an era of a lot of legal racial discrimination was banned and lot of African Americans excelled in areas such as politics and even business. This was end with the rise of the Klan and had to have the civil rights movement to help make things more equal in the south again.