Why did people support the slave

trade and how did they benefit?

L/O – To discover who benefited from the slave trade
and to identify the arguments used to defend it

Starter – Which groups of people profited from the

Slave Trade? Think about what was brought and sold
The Clarkson Challenge
• Thomas Clarkson became so
angry about the slave trade
that he decided to devote the
rest of his life to trying to stop
it. He faced a real challenge as
the slave trade had many
supporters.

• Your challenge over the next

few lessons is to collect
evidence as you travel with
Thomas Clarkson that will
persuade people living at the
time that the slave trade
should be abolished.
The Clarkson Challenge
• As Clarkson continued his research into the slave
trade he met Quakers and others who were
already campaigning for an end to slavery.

• Clarkson saw that a national campaign was

needed. In May 1787 the ‘Society for Effecting
the Abolition of the Slave Trade’ was formed.

• However, Clarkson and his fellow campaigners

faced an almost impossible task. Nearly
everyone in Britain accepted slavery as
completely normal. Furthermore, lots of people
were doing extremely well from the slave trade.

• How could Clarkson stop the slave

trade? What would he have to do?
Clarkson’s Responsibilities
1. Researcher/Investigator
Clarkson had to collect as much evidence as
possible to prove how badly slaves were treated.
His research could then be used by William
Wilberforce, another anti-slavery campaigner, in
Parliament to raise awareness of the horrors of
the slave trade
2. Witnesses
Clarkson had to find witnesses who
would appear before Parliament. Very
few people were willing to give
evidence against the slave trade as they
thought it might put their own lives in
danger
Clarkson’s Responsibilities
3. Persuasive writer and speaker
Clarkson had to prepare speeches and pamphlets
to persuade people in different parts of the country
to support the campaign. Clarkson believed that
human beings would always care about the
sufferings of others if they knew enough about
them. Therefore the way to persuade people to take
action against slavery was to expose the truth
4. Pressure Groups
Clarkson had to encourage people to
form local pressure groups to:
• Raise money for the cause
• Send petitions to the government
• Organise boycotts of goods such
as sugar that had been produced
by slaves
Why was Clarkson’s challenge so difficult?
• Clarkson and his fellow anti-
slavery campaigners faced a
major challenge. Nearly everyone
in Britain, from farm workers to
bishops, accepted slavery as
completely normal.

• The sugar plantations in the West

Indies were part of Britain’s most
valuable colonies. By the end of
the 18th century, £4 million came
into Britain from its West Indian
plantations, compared with £1
million from the colonies it
controlled in the rest of the world.
Why was Clarkson’s challenge so difficult?
• In Britain, those who had
made much of their wealth
from colonial trade built
fine mansions and invested
in new factories and
industries.

• The profits from the slave

trade gave a massive boost
to the economy of towns
and cities throughout the
country and provided jobs
for tens of thousands of
seamen, merchants and
shipbuilders.
 1.2.Look
Which of these
at these groups
groups of people
of people whodobenefited
you thinkfrom
was most to blame
the slave trade.for the words
What slave
trade?
wouldPlace
youthe
useeight groups the
to describe of people on your
task faced hand-outs,
by Clarkson andwith those
others whomost to blame
wanted to
at the centre.
abolish slavery?
Know your enemy!
• Clarkson’s work was difficult,
even dangerous. Powerful
people made lots of money
from the slave trade and
were out to stop him.

• Clarkson needed to know the

arguments they used to
defend the slave trade before
he could challenge them.

• Answer questions 1-3

on your hand-outs
Plenary
1. What did Clarkson do to campaign against the slave
trade?
2. What were the benefits of slavery?
3. Which groups of people benefited?
4. Who was most to blame for slavery?
5. What arguments were used to defend slavery?
6. Was greed, ignorance or racism the main reason why
people supported slavery?

Did we meet our learning objective?

L/O – To discover who benefited from the slave trade
and to identify the arguments used to defend it