1807 and after
Finally on 25 March 1807 the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act received its royal assent, thus abolishing the slave trade in the British colonies and making it illegal to carry slaves in British ships
However, the 1807 act abolished only the slave trade; slavery itself still continued in the British colonies. For a while the campaign lost some of its momentum but was revived in 1823 with the formation of the Anti-Slavery Society with the aim of freeing all slaves in the British colonies. Eventually the Slavery Abolition Act was passed on August 23 1833. But the act stated that slaves were not to be freed immediately, but were to become "apprentices" for 6 years before being completely freed. Protests against this forced the apprenticeship system to be abolished in 1838. The British government also provided £20 million in compensation to plantation owners in the Caribbean. It had taken 46 years between 1787 and 1833 for Britain to outlaw the slave trade and abolish slavery in her colonies.
The focus now shifted to outlawing slavery in other countries, and throughout the 19th century Quakers remained instrumental in the anti-slavery movement. Their participation was evident in various societies, both local, national and international. Birmingham Quaker, Joseph Sturge and his supporters founded the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society in 1839. This proved to be the most enduring of all the British anti-slavery societies and survives today as Anti-Slavery International.
A selection of anti-slavery pamphlets published in the 1820's
This on-line exhibition is illustrated with items from the Library of the Religious Society of Friends. Quakers' long-standing and continuing concern against slavery is reflected in the Library's collections, which includes printed items, archives and manuscripts, pictures and artefacts relating to anti-slavery. For further information and details of how to access these collections see our subject guide to the abolition movement.
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