When slavery was abolished in Britain in 1808, the Atlantic slave trade had been going on for centuries. The abolition movement comes from a history that stems deep. In order to fully understand the movement, one must educate themselves on various aspects such as, how it all began and the leading campaigners against the slave trade. With such knowledge, one may be able to piece together the many reasons why the abolishment of the slave trade took two decades to cease in Great Britain. Despite the many people who did not protest the cruel treatment towards the enslaved, some British citizens felt that the slave trade was wicked and unjust. By deliberately using free citizens and forcing them to work against their will, the Atlantic slave …show more content…

One can therefore see how their society struggled with concept of and dealt with the slave trade. Plantation owners for example, were against the abolition movement claiming that it would sabotage the economic system, and urge the British Empire to consider a lifestyle that did not use blacks as their only production force. Great Britain had the strongest abolition movement. “The turning point in its development came in 1787 when Evangelic Christians joined Quakers in establishing the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade.” By sustaining the knowledge about the Quakers, Thomas Clarkson became one of the leading campaigners against the British slave trade in the British colony. Roger Anstey discusses the campaign to abolish slavery in his book, the Atlantic Slave Trade in an informative way. Anstey makes it clear that the campaign to abolish the slave trade was effective. He states, “By collecting evidence from witnesses of the slave trade and presenting it to the people, the society initiated petition drives, mass efforts, and lobbying in an attempt to end British slave trade.” The effort to shake up and disturb the status quo was frowned upon by those who initially fought to have society set up in that manner. That in itself contributed to the long timeframe it took for Parliament to realize that the slave trade was not right. Judith Jennings is more specific in her short book detailing exactly what the campaigners