Short Essay #2

“The British were the pioneers of the campaign; first against the slave trade, then against slavery in their own colonies and finally against slavery worldwide” (Walvin, 158). During the 18th century, the strong abolition force of Britain started with the Anglicans and Quakers. Traditionally ‘right wing’, this group was socially conservative and saw slavery as religious hypocrisy. They fought for freedom, and viewed slavery as hypocritical of everything that freedom stood for. Anglicans took a religious and moral stand against slavery, but faced a strong opposition. According to Hudson, “slave-trading communities were separated politically, religiously, and culturally” (Hudson, 562). Many in Britain were enjoying slavery itself, and the slave-produced goods and they were not about to give these comforts up without a fight. “From small beginnings it rose to substantial levels in 1725-40, contracted and stabilized during the following 35 years, and finally, following a partial revival after American Independence, almost completely ended in the decade before British abolition in 1807” (Richardson, 37). ‘Left wing’ politics suggest ideas such as socially progressiveness, social liberalism, and among other things, support radical reform. “Should it surprise us that these socially conservative Anglicans, not radicals or dissenters, first led the charge against slavery” (Hudson, 560)? According to Nicholas Hudson, those opposed to slavery during this time were leaning more right than left. Even though it was a clear win for the ‘right wing’ groups fighting against slavery, terms generally used to describe ‘left wing’ politics, such as ‘reform’, ‘social revolution’, ’radical’, and ‘antiestablishment’ are used to describe the abolitionists. There were major changes for the British economy, and most areas were affected by the slave industry. ”Dozens of ports sustained the slave-trade, vast rural and urban hinterlands filled the ships with foodstuffs and manufactured goods, and most British consumers bad become addicted to the fruits of slave labours, most notably sugar” (Walvin, 162). Richardson tells us just how profitable the slave empire could be, and is directly linked to Bristol’s “golden age” in the 18th century. Almost half of their income came from the slave industry, and became the “metropolis of the west. Many profited from slavery even after its demise. Even though the abolition movement was a triumphant win for its ‘right wing’ supporters, many others profited largely from it. Merchants and big investors sat in comfort while the industry made them quite wealthy, and continued to do so until slavery’s end in Britain.