The transatlantic slave trade was the largest forced migration in human history and completely changed Africa, the Americas and Europe. Between the 1400s and 1800s, 12-15 million men, women and children were forcibly transported from Africa to the Americas. Britain’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade officially began, with royal approval, in 1663 with the creation of the Royal African Company (RAC). Between 1662 and 1807, British and British colonial ships purchased an estimated 3,415,500 Africans. Of this number, 2,964,800 survived the ‘middle passage’ and were sold into slavery in…
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Podcast fame at last!
Today, Tom talks with Fin Dwyer on Irish History Podcast about the Anti Slavery Belfast tour.Listen here: https://spoti.fi/3pNGjBd Tours start at 10.30 at the Big Fish. Booking information: https://bit.ly/3wgNhhQ
Thomas Paine, Rights of Man and the abolition of Slavery
Thomas Paine was an influential 18th-century writer and philosopher, best known for his political writings advocating for the American Revolution and the rights of man. Paine was born in England in 1737 and emigrated to the American colonies in 1774, where he wrote his most famous work, “Common Sense,” a political pamphlet that played a major role in the American Revolution. In 1791, Paine published “Rights of Man,” a response to Edmund Burke’s critique of the French Revolution. In this work, Paine argued for the rights of man and the…
Why did it take so long?
The Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade received royal assent on 25 March 1807. It prohibited the slave trade in the British Empire but did not abolish the practice of slavery. Slavery was abolished in most of the British Empire in 1833. Why did it take 26 years between the abolition slave trade and the abolition of slavery itself? The 26 year gap between the abolition of the slave trade and the abolition of slavery itself was due to various political, economic, and social factors. One of the…
William Drennan
William Drennan was born in Belfast in 1754. He was one of 11 siblings, but only 3 survived infancy. Drennan studied at the University of Glasgow, a centre of the Scottish Enlightenment. He came to national attention through his publication of “Letters of Orellana,” supporting radical constitutional reform. In 1791, Drennan proposed a “benevolent conspiracy” for the “Rights of Man” and independence for Ireland. In 1793, he was arrested for sedition, but successfully defended himself at trial. Though Drennan did not write extensively about abolition, his friends, family and associates…
St Patrick the slave
Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and is widely celebrated on March 17th as St. Patrick’s Day. He is known for bringing Christianity to Ireland and for using the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. According to tradition, Saint Patrick was born in Britain in the late 4th century and was captured by Irish raiders at the age of 16. He was taken as a slave to Ireland and spent six years working as a shepherd. During this time, he turned to faith and prayer and eventually…
Slavery justification or not in the bible
The Bible was used by both abolitionists and pro-slavery campaigners to support their views.Some passages to support slavery included: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.” (Ephesians 6:5) “Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.” (1 Peter 2:18) “When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand,…
Richard Allen
Richard Allen was born to Edward and Ellen Allen at Harold’s Cross near Dublin. He was the second of fifteen children. An orthodox Quaker, his business was in textiles but his interests were in reform, temperance and the abolition of slavery. He married Ann Webb in 1828. In 1837, Allen was one of three founding members, with James Haughton and Richard Davis Webb, of the Hibernian Antislavery Association. This was not the first antislavery association but it was acknowledged to be the most active. Allen served as the secretary of…
Find out more about Belfast and slavery!
The ANTISLAVERY BELFAST TOUR reveals the story of Belfast’s involvement in this shameful transatlantic trade and the inspiring role of anti-slavery campaigners who ensured Belfast never profited from the trade in the same way as cities such as London, Liverpool, Glasgow or Bristol. Tours from The Salmon of Knowledge (The Big Fish) Donegall Quay Belfast BT1 3NG on Saturdays (Info is here!).
Olaudah Equiano
Olaudah Equiano, also known as Gustavus Vassa, was a prominent African American writer, abolitionist, and merchant who lived in the 18th century. He was born in what is now Nigeria in 1745 and was enslaved as a child. After being transported to the British colonies in the Americas, he worked to purchase his freedom and eventually became a successful merchant, sailor, and writer. It is not clear if Equiano ever visited Belfast, Northern Ireland. However, as a sailor, he may have traveled to various ports throughout the British Empire, including…
Samuel Ringgold Ward
Samuel Ringgold Ward (1817-1866) was an African American abolitionist, clergyman, and social reformer who lived in the 19th century. He was born in Maryland and became involved in the abolitionist movement in the 1830s and 1840s, working to end slavery in the United States.Ward was a charismatic speaker and was known for his powerful oratory skills, which he used to advocate for the abolition of slavery and the rights of African Americans. He travelled extensively throughout the United States and Europe, giving lectures and speeches on the abolitionist cause. He…
1840 Anti-Slavery Convention
The London 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention was a historic event that took place in June 1840 in London, England. It was organized by the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society and was attended by delegates from all over the world, including the United States, Canada, and various European countries. The convention was held in response to the growing global movement against slavery and the slave trade, and it aimed to bring together abolitionists from different countries to coordinate their efforts and exchange ideas. The convention was held at the Freemason’s Hall…
BBC Bite Size educational resources on Belfast and the slave trade
For KS3 pupils, the BBC has put together some interesting educational resources on the slave trade and Belfast. More info here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z4x747h/articles/z2fk8hv To learn more slavery in Belfast, Book the ANTI SLAVERY BELFAST TOUR!
Come and join us at the Big Fish!
The ANTISLAVERY BELFAST TOUR reveals the story of Belfast’s involvement in this shameful transatlantic trade and the inspiring role of anti-slavery campaigners who ensured Belfast never profited from the trade in the same way as cities such as London, Liverpool, Glasgow or Bristol. Tours from The Salmon of Knowledge (The Big Fish) Donegall Quay Belfast BT1 3NG on Saturdays (Info is here!).
Irish History Podcast on Ireland and the Anti Slavery Movement
Very interesting podcast on Ireland and the abolitionist movement. Fin Dwyer talks to historian Christine Kinealy on how from the 1790s onwards numerous Black anti-slavery activists visited Ireland to build support for the abolition of the slave trade and slavery itself. This would see some of the most famous African Americans in history including Frederick Douglas visit Ireland. To learn more, book the ANTI SLAVERY BELFAST TOUR!
Watchmaking and anti-slavery
Belfast produced not one but two abolitionist watch makers. Thomas McCabe was the first and the second was Robert Neill, on High Street from 1803.Neill supplied watches, clocks, marine chronometers, optical equipment & jewellery. Some of the company’s oldest public clocks are still extant in Belfast. Robert Neill lost his wife, Letitia Ireland, in 1845, and dedicated his remaining days to helping others. A particular passion was the abolition of slavery. As an influential member of the Belfast Anti-Slavery Society he hosted three of the greatest American abolitionists, in October…
John Newton 1725-1807
John Newton was born in Wapping, London. By the age of eleven he was serving on his father’s ship sailing to the Mediterranean. Later he was press ganged onto HMS Harwich eventually being exchanged for a merchant seaman. He resumed life in the maritime trade working on the West African coast buying slaves. For a time he was ‘enslaved’ himself and forced to work on a plantation. In 1747 he was rescued and returned to England on a ship called the ‘Greyhound’. The ‘Greyhound’ traded on gold, ivory, beeswax and…
The Royal Navy enforced the 1807 Slave Trade Act
In 1807, the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was passed that prohibited the slave trade in the British Empire. The Act created fines for ship captains who continued with the trade. These fines could be up to £100 per enslaved person found on a ship. Captains would sometimes dump captives overboard when they saw Navy ships coming in order to avoid these fines. The first case brought under the act was that of Samuel Samo, who was tried by Chief Justice Robert Thorpe at the Vice-Admiralty Court…
Frederick Douglass, ‘fugitive slave’ visited Belfast in the 1840s
On both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, Frederick Douglass was one of the most important personalities in the campaign for the abolition of slavery. He visited Belfast as a ‘fugitive slave’ in 1845 and again in 1846. Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born c.1817 on a Maryland plantation. He had an African slave mother and a white father, possibly his overseer, Aaron Anthony. He was bright and taught himself to read and write, in secret as learning was forbidden. The first book he bought included accounts of the suffering of…
CHARLES LENOX REMOND
Charles Lenox Remond was from Massachusetts and he was the first African-American to be employed by the American Anti-Slavery Society to promote their cause, giving talks across the Northeast of the US. His parents were freed slaves, so he had a relatively privileged upbringing for a black person in those times. His passionate oratorical skills in speaking out against slavery made a great impression on all.He worked alongside journalist William Lloyd Garrison, a white man who lead the abolitionist movement in the United States for many decades. In 1840 both…