This year, 2007, we are commemorating the 200th anniversary of the 'Abolition of the Slave Trade Act' in 1807. Many people argue that we are still dealing with the legacies of slavery, including racism, and are in danger of ignoring the current 'enslavement' of people throughout the world.

Before its eventual abolition, the slave trade formed an important part of the British and European economy. Trade in enslaved Africans and the goods they produced on American plantations made fortunes for many of those who invested, and financed the development of many of our important cities including Bristol, Liverpool and Glasgow.

Every region in the country would have been affected by slavery, and the lives of every class of person would have been influenced by the impact of the slave trade in some way. The archive items included in this topic have been chosen to highlight the ubiquity of the slavery issue; slavery was a contentious and controversial issue around the country, including Nottinghamshire, and raised strong feelings on all sides of the argument. Anti-slavery propaganda such as the Wedgwood Medallion was designed to raise the awareness of slavery as an issue and appeal to people's moral sense of outrage over the treatment of fellow human beings on the plantations of the Carribbean and the United States. Anti-slavery arguments were also advanced in the economic sphere as can be seen with the 'Address' on the utility of refraining from the use of 'West India Sugar and Rum' (1).

The issues around slavery also formed a backdrop to electoral politics of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. While the slave trade may have been abolished in 1807, slavery itself continued to exist in British colonies for decades after that and exercised the minds of voters in towns like Newark. The Anti-Gladstone Election Poster by 'The Negroes Real Friend', 1832 shows that politicians like Gladstone had to contend with vociferous critics who were determined that slavery would not be allowed to fade into the margins of public debate.

Abolitionists like Wedgwood and Fox, the author of the 'Address', were sometimes motivated by religious conviction and were often members of Methodist or Quaker churches, which played a prominent role in the fight to abolish slavery. The Quakers or Society of Friends were particularly adept at co-ordinating activity around the country; this Anti-Slavery Minute of Friends (Quaker) Society, 1790 is a good example of how a national movement can seek to influence events in areas such as Nottinghamshire.

Of course, Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands also had their share of plantation investors and slaveholders. This Slave Account, 19 March 1663 is a stark reminder that the trade in slaves - as well as the institution of slavery itself - reduced human beings to the status of property and chattels to be bought, sold and exchanged just like any other piece of merchandise. As we can see from this Slave Account, 19 March 1663 (40 kb) transcript, a person's worth could be decided by the colour of their skin, their gender, age or their equivalent value in other goods such as sugar.

As mentioned above, the issues of slavery, human trafficking, child labour and indentured service are still with us; this is as true in rich nations such as the UK as it is in poorer countries. This topic is also designed to assist teachers in raising the issues of modern slavery in their classrooms and encourage students to think about their responsibilities in an increasingly 'globalised' world in which our respective futures are so interdependant. 19th Century children were concerned about slavery and offered their support to those seeking its abolition: this Letter from M E Wilson, 1837 p 1 (20 kb) is an example of that concern. Further details of classroom activities for this topic can be found by following the links to 'Teachers' Notes', above.