Metropolitan Movements towards emancipation

Effects of revolts on the emancipation process

Negative effects on slavery
Although the long-term effect of the revolts across the territories was
progress towards eventual emancipation, we have seen in Theme 3 how
the revolts were brutally suppressed, with cruel deaths for the
leaders.AcrossplantationstherewasanImmediatetighteningof security and
harsher measures for enslaved workers, which Included the use of the
treadmill

Not surprisingly, the planters and commercial classes v,,ere alarmed at

the revolts, because of the threat to their interests. The uprisings
confirmed the belief that enslaved Africans could not be trusted.

To plantation owners freedom was unthinkable. Their priority

was to protect their investment by suppressing the revolts
and keeping the plantations operational and profitable.

@ltl._ig
 The effect on political opinion in Europe
Positive effects on the emancipation process

One way in which people in Britain were made aware of slavery was the
sight of enslaved blacks. In London and other cities during the
eighteenth century It was common to see retired planters walking through
the streets accompanied by enslaved black attendants.
Some of these planters, who had been the penniless younger sons of English
families, boasted of their new status by parading with
theis new status symbol. Aside from these well dressed and well fed
enslaved Africans, there were many destitute, some fugitive, blacks in B r i t
ai n .

In 1764, The Gentleman's

Magazine estimated that
there were about 20,000
black people In London alone.

The growing number of enslaved Africans in Britain prompted

some English people to question the country's laws to establish whether enslavement
was legal In Britain and whether racially based limitations on freedom could be imposed
on people. Does British law permit the enslavement of others on British soil? Is there
any limit to the freedom of a man in England because of his race? The first Englishmen
to agitate publicly against slavery by taking these Issues before the courts was Granville
Sharp, who was joined by Thomas Clarkson, James Ramsay and ~Vllliam ~Vllberforce.
They worked together to make the public aware of the evils of slavery and demanded
the abolition of the British slave trade.