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9 July 2008
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For more than 200 years Britain was at the heart of a lucrative transatlantic trade in millions of enslaved Africans. But by 1807 the practice had been banned. How did this happen?

Inside Abolition

The Abolition of British Slavery - Interactive Map How did the transatlantic slave trade operate? Who brought about its abolition? Follow five dynamic trails across Africa, the Caribbean and the UK.

The Abolition Campaign

The Unsung Heroes of AbolitionImage from The Unsung Heroes of AbolitionParliamentarians, women, slave revolt leaders and Quakers all played their part. Who are the lost champions of the abolition campaign? By Adam Hochschild.

The Tools of the AbolitionistsImage from The Tools of the AbolitionistsFrom sugar boycotts to mass petitions, the abolitionists pioneered many campaign tactics still in use today. By Mike Kaye.

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The Transatlantic Slave Trade

The Abolition of British Slavery - Interactive MapImage from The Abolition of British Slavery - Interactive MapExplore events in Africa, the Caribbean and the UK with audio, text and images, by Adam Hochschild

The Business of EnslavementImage from The Business of EnslavementHow did the financial, commercial and legal infrastructure of the slave trade underpin a powerful new merchant class in Britain? By Nigel Pocock.

British Timeline - Slavery Journey The journey from the slaving raids of Captain John Hawkins in 1562 to the abolition of the slave trade would take almost 250 years. Follow it here.
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The Post-Abolition World

Stereotypical Representations of Black People in Modern Western SocietiesImage from Stereotypical Representations of Black People in Modern Western SocietiesBlack people have been portrayed in Western societies in a variety of stereotypical ways since the demise of slavery. By Professor Jan Nederveen Pieterse

Slavery and the Building of BritainImage from Slavery and the Building of BritainThe built environment contains many powerful reminders of Britain's involvement in the slave trade. By James Walvin.

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Your History

Your Local Slave Trade HistoryImage from Your Local Slave Trade HistoryStatues, street names, meeting houses and docks all hold clues to the history of the slave trade in your area.

Researching African & Caribbean Family HistoryImage from Researching African & Caribbean Family HistoryTracing your ancestry back to the Caribbean requires a specialist knowledge of the records, archives and research techniques. By Guy Grannum.

  • Your Photos - Browse this growing archive of photographs. Why not add your own family snaps?
  • Colin Jackson - How Colin's family history took him back to the Caribbean.
  • Moira Stuart - A moving story of Moira's associations with abolition in the Caribbean.
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Links

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Local Slave Trade History

Commemorative Activity

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