Accоrding tо histоriаns, the end of the trаns-Atlаntic slave trade was caused by ideological, religious, and economic change in Europe and the Americas. Some scholars trace abolitionism’s origin in the Enlightenment. This influential eighteenth century intellectual movement suggested that all men (and to an extent women) held certain natural rights. Among these rights was liberty, which the slave trade clearly violated. Other scholars point to the role of evangelical religious groups, such as the Quakers. They saw abolitionism as an expression of “Christian love” for their fellow man. Other historians emphasize economic motives. One theory was that Britain abolished its slave trade because Caribbean plantations were becoming less profitable and needed fewer new enslaved workers. Today most scholars argue that slavery and the slave trade were still profitable when it was banned. However, as industrialization progressed, machine manufacturing became more profitable than platation slavery, contributing to the shift towards abolition in Britain by the mid-19th century. The African community had long been active in the campaign against slavery in England. In 1787 a group of nine men formed 'The Sons of Africa'. Two of the members added their distinctive voices to the abolitionist cause. Ottobah Cugoano,– born in what is now Ghana, captured and enslaved in 1770 and brought to England– published a personal account of his enslavement and a fierce attack on the slave trade. Another member, Olaudah Equiano, gained fame in 1789 when he published his autobiography, a book that established him as the African voice of abolition. He published the book himself and travelled throughout Britain selling it along the abolitionist networks. Equiano also led delegations of the Sons to Parliament to persuade MPs (members of parliament) to abolish the transatlantic slave trade. The Sons of Africa successfully shifted public opinion, highlighting the inhumane conditions on slave ships and making the case that enslaved people deserved freedom and humanity. QUESTIONS: 1. What are some of the social factors that led to support for ending the slave trade? 2. What econonic conditions worked against the continuation of human slavery in the 19th century? 3. What role did formerly enslaved Africans play in the fight to end the slave trade? Your answer must be in your own words- do not use direct quotes. Your answer must be a minimum of 75 words.
One оf the mаjоr mоtivаtions in the Age of Explorаtion was the search for access to the highly profitable spice trade in the East. In the 15th century, spices were in huge demand both for flavoring food and for use in medicines. In 1453, Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, was conquered by the Ottoman Turks, so one of the principal land routes for spices into Europe was lost. Enterprising Europeans began to search for ways to access this market by sea. In 1492, Christopher Columbus thought he could find it by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean but he only succeeded in finding another landmass in his way: the Americas. The Portuguese believed they could find Asia by sailing around the African continent. In 1488 Bartolomeu Dias sailed down the coast of West Africa and made the first voyage around the Cape of Good Hope, the southern tip of the African continent. He was followed by Vasco da Gama who rounded the Cape, sailed on up the coast of East Africa, and crossed the Indian ocean to reach southern India. Finally, a route to the East was opened up by Ferdinand Magellan when he made the first circumnavigation of the globe in 1519-22. The Age of Exploration led to a new, more violent and disruptive world where colonial powers carved up the globe as they extracted precious resources and enslaved and transported millions of people for use as free labour. The attempt to control the spice trade had other consequences besides those already mentioned. Missionaries spread the Christian faith. Plants and animals were introduced to new places, often causing unforeseen changes in habitat and upsetting the balance of local ecological systems. Diseases spread in all directions to find new victims. Sugar cane, cotton, tea, opium, gold, diamonds, and enslaved laborers would take the place of spices as the European powers raced to carve up the world and build empires. QUESTIONS: 1. According to the reading, what motivated European countries to explore the wider world in the 15th century? 1. What changes did this bring to Europe and the "New World"? Your answer must be in your own words- do not use direct quotes. Your answer must be a minimum of 75 words.