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This part of the History list within the Cambridge Library Collection focuses on the practices of slave-trading and slave-holding during the colonial period and their eventual abolition: it is sometimes forgotten that the efforts of the British emancipation movement were not finally successful until 1833, 26 years after the trade in slaves was outlawed. The series contains eye-witness accounts of the conditions endured by slaves on board ship across the Atlantic and on the plantations of the Caribbean and the Americas, including testimonies by former slaves, both male and female. It includes publications arguing for and against abolition by social reformers such as Clarkson and Wilberforce, and by plantation owners and commodity merchants. In addition, there are reports of naval expeditions targeting slave traders and of the judicial proceedings against individuals accused of human trafficking. Further context is provided by books on the geography, history, society, laws and economics of these regions from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century.

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82 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Slavery and Abolition

Page 3 of 5

The Correspondence of William Wilberforce
  • Volume 1
  • William Wilberforce
  • Edited by Robert Isaac Wilberforce, Samuel Wilberforce
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    06 January 2011
    First published in:
    1840
  • William Wilberforce (1759–1833) was a politician, philanthropist and evangelical Christian, now best known for his work to end the slave trade. Elected to Parliament in 1780, he campaigned unsuccessfully for penal and electoral reform. In 1787, at the encouragement of his friend William Pitt, he took up the cause of abolition at Westminster, while Thomas Clarkson and others collected evidence and mobilised popular opinion. Wilberforce also lobbied tirelessly for the cause, but humanitarian and ethical arguments were slow to overcome the economic interests of those who had made fortunes from the slave trade or the use of slave labour. It was not until 1807 that the Abolition Bill was finally passed. Wilberforce continued his work for the emancipation of slaves, and also campaigned for religious liberty. This work, edited by two of his sons and published in 1840, includes their reply to criticisms by Thomas Clarkson of their earlier biography.

The History of a Slave
  • Harry Hamilton Johnston
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    22 April 2011
    First published in:
    1889
  • Sir Harry Hamilton Johnston (1858–1927) was an explorer, colonial administrator and main participant in the British expansion in Africa, along with his friend Cecil Rhodes. Johnston published several accounts of his expeditions, as well as surveying native languages and culture. This text is Johnston's fictionalised account of the life of a slave, based on anecdotes he gathered on his travels. The protagonist describes his early life as the warrior son of the village chief in a brutal society where cannibalism and allegations of witchcraft were commonplace. When slavers attacked his village and captured him, 'Abu' faced a long journey across the country, survived by few, before serving a succession of masters. A vivid and eventful history of one man's survival through escape attempts, attacks by wild animals and relentless violence, which Johnston described as his attempt to give 'a realistic sketch of life in the Western Sudan'.

Slavery as an Industrial System
  • Ethnological Researches
  • Herman Jeremias Nieboer
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    20 January 2011
    First published in:
    1900
  • First published in 1900, this systematic analysis of slavery in primitive societies from an ethnographical and economic viewpoint by Dutch scholar Herman Nieboer (1873–1920) brought him international fame. The first part defines what he means by slavery, and then examines how slavery has been practised at different periods and in all parts of the world. In the second part, Nieboer analyses this mass of information from ethnographical literature to derive an underlying theory of slavery, and the economic conditions necessary for it to function. Discussing the different types of early societies - hunters, nomads and agriculturists - Nieboer shows how the presence or absence of slavery can be closely linked to economic conditions. The book was a key work in the study of early slavery, particularly as Nieboer concentrates on primitive cultures rather than on the ancient and classical world most studied previously, and covers a worldwide geographical area.

The Life of William Wilberforce
  • Volume 3
  • Edited by Robert Isaac Wilberforce, Samuel Wilberforce
  • William Wilberforce
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    13 January 2011
    First published in:
    1838
  • William Wilberforce (1759–1833) was a politician, philanthropist and evangelical Christian, now best known for his work to end the slave trade. Elected to Parliament in 1780, he campaigned unsuccessfully for penal and electoral reform. In 1787, at the encouragement of his friend William Pitt, he took up the cause of abolition at Westminster and lobbied influential people tirelessly, but humanitarian and ethical arguments were slow to overcome the economic interests of those who had made fortunes from the slave trade or the use of slave labour. It was not until 1807 that the Abolition Bill was finally passed. Wilberforce continued his work for emancipation, and also campaigned for religious liberty. This biography, based on his own writings, was published by two of his sons in 1838, but sheds more light on religious than on political aspects of his life. Volume 3 covers the period from 1800 until 1812.

The Life of William Wilberforce
  • Volume 2
  • Edited by Robert Isaac Wilberforce, Samuel Wilberforce
  • William Wilberforce
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    13 January 2011
    First published in:
    1838
  • William Wilberforce (1759–1833) was a politician, philanthropist and evangelical Christian, now best known for his work to end the slave trade. Elected to Parliament in 1780, he campaigned unsuccessfully for penal and electoral reform. In 1787, at the encouragement of his friend William Pitt, he took up the cause of abolition at Westminster and lobbied influential people tirelessly, but humanitarian and ethical arguments were slow to overcome the economic interests of those who had made fortunes from the slave trade or the use of slave labour. It was not until 1807 that the Abolition Bill was finally passed. Wilberforce continued his work for emancipation, and also campaigned for religious liberty. This biography, based on his own writings, was published by two of his sons in 1838, but sheds more light on religious than on political aspects of his life. Volume 2 covers the period from 1792 to 1800.

The Deeper Wrong
  • Or, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
  • Harriet Ann Jacobs
  • Edited by Lydia Maria Child
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    27 January 2011
    First published in:
    1862
  • Harriet Ann Jacobs (1813–1897) was born into slavery in North Carolina, but escaped to the north to flee her owner's sexual advances. This autobiography was published under a pseudonym in 1861 to protect her family. She became involved with the Anti-Slavery Society, speaking at meetings in support of abolition. The book was aimed at middle-class white women, and stresses the impact of slavery on women's chastity, as slaves were frequently sexually exploited. She is highly critical of the nominal Christianity of the culture of the southern States. Much of the narrative deals with her efforts to regain her children, who had remained her master's property. Jacobs' first-hand account was an early publication of its type, and many found the abuse she suffered shocking and unbelievable. Jacobs became a role model for freed slaves, in taking control of her life, and helping others to adapt through education.

The Life of William Wilberforce
  • Volume 4
  • Edited by Robert Isaac Wilberforce, Samuel Wilberforce
  • William Wilberforce
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    13 January 2011
    First published in:
    1838
  • William Wilberforce (1759–1833) was a politician, philanthropist and evangelical Christian, now best known for his work to end the slave trade. Elected to Parliament in 1780, he campaigned unsuccessfully for penal and electoral reform. In 1787, at the encouragement of his friend William Pitt, he took up the cause of abolition at Westminster and lobbied influential people tirelessly, but humanitarian and ethical arguments were slow to overcome the economic interests of those who had made fortunes from the slave trade or the use of slave labour. It was not until 1807 that the Abolition Bill was finally passed. Wilberforce continued his work for emancipation, and also campaigned for religious liberty. This biography, based on his own writings, was published by two of his sons in 1838, but sheds more light on religious than on political aspects of his life. Volume 4 covers the period from 1812 to 1818.

The Correspondence of William Wilberforce
  • Volume 2
  • William Wilberforce
  • Edited by Robert Isaac Wilberforce, Samuel Wilberforce
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    06 January 2011
    First published in:
    1840
  • William Wilberforce (1759–1833) was a politician, philanthropist and evangelical Christian, now best known for his work to end the slave trade. Elected to Parliament in 1780, he campaigned unsuccessfully for penal and electoral reform. In 1787, at the encouragement of his friend William Pitt, he took up the cause of abolition at Westminster, while Thomas Clarkson and others collected evidence and mobilised popular opinion. Wilberforce also lobbied tirelessly for the cause, but humanitarian and ethical arguments were slow to overcome the economic interests of those who had made fortunes from the slave trade or the use of slave labour. It was not until 1807 that the Abolition Bill was finally passed. Wilberforce continued his work for the emancipation of slaves, and also campaigned for religious liberty. This work, edited by two of his sons and published in 1840, includes their reply to criticisms by Thomas Clarkson of their earlier biography.

Journal of a West India Proprietor
  • Kept During a Residence in the Island of Jamaica
  • Matthew Gregory Lewis
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    09 December 2010
    First published in:
    1834
  • Matthew 'Monk' Lewis (1775–1818) is best known as a writer of plays and 'Gothic' novels such as The Monk (from which he acquired his nickname). On the death of his father in 1812, he inherited a large fortune, including estates in Jamaica. He spent four months there in 1815, during which time much of this Journal of a West India Proprietor was written. He became interested in the condition of the slaves on his estates, and on returning to England made contact with William Wilberforce and other abolitionists. The improvements he made on his own estates were unpopular with other landholders, but foreshadowed the reforms of the 1830s, when the Journal was published. He revisited the island in 1817, but died of yellow fever on the way home. S. T. Coleridge regarded the Journal as Lewis' best work, and the one most likely to be of lasting value.

The History, Civil and Commercial, of the West Indies
  • With a Continuation to the Present Time
  • Volume 4
  • Bryan Edwards
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    09 December 2010
    First published in:
    1819
  • Bryan Edwards (1743–1800) was a wealthy West Indian planter, politician and historian. He vigorously opposed the abolition of the slave trade, since the sugar industry relied heavily on it. His most important work was The History, Civil and Commercial, of the British Colonies in the West Indies, originally published in two volumes in 1793, and subsequently expanded (this fifth edition of 1819 reaching five volumes) with many plates and maps. In this wide-ranging work, he described his aim as 'to describe the manners and dispositions of the present inhabitants, as influenced by climate, situation, and other local causes … an account of the African slave trade, some observations on the negro character and genius, and reflections on the system of slavery established in our colonies'. Volume 4 describes the campaigns of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars in the West Indies, and provides updated sections on the issue of abolition.

The History, Civil and Commercial, of the West Indies
  • With a Continuation to the Present Time
  • Volume 3
  • Bryan Edwards
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1819
  • Bryan Edwards (1743–1800) was a wealthy West Indian planter, politician and historian. He vigorously opposed the abolition of the slave trade, since the sugar industry relied heavily on it. His most important work was The History, Civil and Commercial, of the British Colonies in the West Indies, originally published in two volumes in 1793, and subsequently expanded (this fifth edition of 1819 reaching five volumes) with many plates and maps. In this wide-ranging work, he described his aim as 'to describe the manners and dispositions of the present inhabitants, as influenced by climate, situation, and other local causes … an account of the African slave trade, some observations on the negro character and genius, and reflections on the system of slavery established in our colonies'. Volume 3 examines the French colony of St Domingo and the rebellion there, and also discusses Jamaica, Barbados and St Lucia.

The Life of William Wilberforce
  • Volume 1
  • Edited by Robert Isaac Wilberforce, Samuel Wilberforce
  • William Wilberforce
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    13 January 2011
    First published in:
    1838
  • William Wilberforce (1759–1833) was a politician, philanthropist and evangelical Christian, now best known for his work to end the slave trade. Elected to Parliament in 1780, he campaigned unsuccessfully for penal and electoral reform. In 1787, at the encouragement of his friend William Pitt, he took up the cause of abolition at Westminster and lobbied influential people tirelessly, but humanitarian and ethical arguments were slow to overcome the economic interests of those who had made fortunes from the slave trade or the use of slave labour. It was not until 1807 that the Abolition Bill was finally passed. Wilberforce continued his work for emancipation, and also campaigned for religious liberty. This biography, based on his own writings, was published by two of his sons in 1838, but sheds more light on religious than on political aspects of his life. Volume 1 covers the period from his birth until 1792.

The History of the Maroons
  • From their Origin to the Establishment of their Chief Tribe at Sierra Leone
  • Volume 2
  • Robert Charles Dallas
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    09 December 2010
    First published in:
    1803
  • Born in Jamaica, Robert Charles Dallas (1754–1824) was prolific author in a variety of genres, dedicating all of his work to 'the defence of society and reason against Jacobinism and confusion', having been forced to leave his residence in France by the Revolution. Despite 'an ardent tendency in my heart to disapprove the slave-trade', The History of the Maroons, published in 1803, offered a qualified acceptance of the institution of slavery in a fallen world, and addressed criticisms of planters' behaviour and the government's conduct against the rebellious Jamaican Maroons - runaway slaves who formed their own communities in the West Indies. They settled the mountainous inland areas of Jamaica and resisted assimilation by the British; two Maroon Wars were fought in the eighteenth century. They were deported by the British to Canada and then to Sierra Leone, but many returned to Jamaica, where they remain.

Emigration from India: the Export of Coolies, and Other Labourers, to Mauritius
  • Corporate Author British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1842
  • This collection of papers, reports and letters, published in 1842, documents the official investigation into the export of South Asians effectively as slave labour to Mauritius and British Guiana in 1837, four years after the abolition of slavery in all British colonies. The investigation revealed how the anti-slavery laws were evaded by the issue of nominal contracts for labourers, by which much of their wages were withheld to pay for their passage, and how enticement, trickery and sometimes kidnap were used in recruiting them. It highlights appalling conditions on overloaded ships, inadequate living conditions and a brutal working environment. Only rarely were workers released at the end of their 'contract'. The reports and correspondence show the struggle of Parliament and the Anti-Slavery Society to ascertain facts often distorted by corrupt officials, particularly on Mauritius. Readers will find chilling parallels to the human trafficking that still persists today.

The Opportunity, or Reasons for an Immediate Alliance with St. Domingo
  • James Stephen
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    27 January 2011
    First published in:
    1804
  • James Stephen (1758–1832) was a British lawyer and slavery abolitionist. After qualifying for the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1782 Stephen sailed for St Kitts in 1783. The atrocities committed against slaves which he witnessed in the West Indies converted him to the abolitionist cause, and after his return to England in 1794 he campaigned on behalf of the abolition movement. This volume, first published in 1804, contains Stephen's discussion of Britain's political choices following the successful Haitian Revolution (1791–1804). Before the Revolution, Haiti was one of the wealthiest colonies in the Caribbean, which Britain had attempted unsuccessfully to acquire by force. Stephen explores the complex political situation created by Haiti's declaration of independence, and advocates for Britain to acknowledge Haiti as a sovereign state. Stephen's thorough assessment of Britain's political choices and their potential impact provides valuable insights into contemporary trade and political motivations surrounding Haiti.

The Slave Power: Its Character, Career, and Probable Designs
  • Being an Attempt to Explain the Real Issues Involved in the American Contest
  • John Elliott Cairnes
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    09 December 2010
    First published in:
    1862
  • John Elliot Cairnes (1823–1875) was one of the leading economists of his day, holding professorships at Trinity College Dublin, University College, Galway, and University College, London. He gained an international reputation with The Slave Power, first published in 1862, and enlarged and reissued the following year. His analysis of the economic and social system of the Confederate states in America did much to influence British support for the Union in the United States' Civil War. He argued that the course of history was influenced most of all by economic causes. Although he had begun his study of the slave trade on a theoretical basis, the outbreak of civil war had given it a more immediate and practical application. His case is very clearly and impartially argued. While being opposed to slavery on moral grounds, he fairly states the arguments on both sides, and refutes some of the Confederate propaganda.

Six Months in the West Indies, in 1825
  • Henry Nelson Coleridge
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1826
  • Henry Nelson Coleridge (1798–1843) was plagued with spinal problems and rheumatism throughout his life. The purpose of his six-month voyage around the Caribbean, although ostensibly for his health, was also a futile attempt to prevent his marriage to his beloved cousin Sara. Coleridge's thinly disguised references to Sara punctuate this light-hearted memoir, originally published anonymously in 1826. Coleridge compares and contrasts twelve different islands. Towns, villages, monuments, architecture, churches and plantations are described as he roams the islands freely, visits acquaintances and enjoys the natural history. Throughout his journey Coleridge observes all races on the islands. He gives an account of the Caribbean plantations, commenting on the situation of the plantation slaves and pondering the opportunities available to emancipate them without affecting the plantations' productivity. He also highlights cases where slaves are well treated by plantation owners.

Notes on the West Indies
  • Written during the Expedition under the Command of the Late General Sir Ralph Abercromby
  • Volume 1
  • George Pinckard
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    09 December 2010
    First published in:
    1806
  • George Pinckard (1768–1835) was an army surgeon who arrived in the West Indies in 1796. His letters to a friend were published as Notes on the West Indies in 1806; a second edition came out in 1816. He describes at length all that he saw, from the very beginning of his journey, with vivid portrayals of characters and experiences: for example, before departure he saw a sailor being flogged around the fleet for desertion. Arriving first in Barbados, he describes the island, its people and its wildlife. He visited a slave trader's ship, and he gives a very good report of the condition of the slaves (most of whom were teenagers), in sharp contrast to horrific accounts also in circulation. His derogatory opinions about many of the Africans and half-castes that he met, particularly the women, perhaps typify the responses of a westerner of his age and class.

The Jamaica Planter’s Guide
  • Or, a System for Planting and Managing a Sugar Estate or Other Plantations in that Island, and Throughout the British West Indies in General
  • Thomas Roughley
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    16 December 2010
    First published in:
    1823
  • Thomas Roughley published this Guide in 1823, based on his own experience. The book is an important source on Britain's richest colony, where the sugar trade had reached its peak production around 1810. At a time when the abolition of slavery was a major issue, Jamaican planters were particularly concerned, as so much of their activity was based on slave labour. The book deals with all aspects of running a sugar plantation profitably, the chapter on the work force being particularly interesting. He outlines each role necessary for the effective estate, and criticises the 'slanders' of philanthropists regarding the mistreatment of slaves, referring to the strict laws for their protection: since the importation of new slaves had been banned since 1807, it was all the more necessary for owners to look after their workforce's health and welfare. Roughley shows that well-run plantations were highly complex agricultural and economic units.

The West Indies in 1837
  • Being the Journal of a Visit to Antigua, Montserrat, Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados, and Jamaica
  • Joseph Sturge, Thomas Harvey
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    16 December 2010
    First published in:
    1838
  • Joseph Sturge (1793–1859) and his co-author, Thomas Harvey (1812–1884), were Quaker philanthropists concerned with the treatment of former slaves. Both men had reservations about the 'apprenticeship' system introduced by the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act, and between 1836 and 1837 they visited the West Indies to assess the usefulness of the system in action. Their book was first published in 1838, and a second, revised edition (reissued here) came out in the same year. It contains Sturge and Harvey's observations on the failures of apprenticeship. Organised by island and presented in the form of a diary, this detailed account of the lives and living conditions of former slaves illustrates the inherent flaws in the apprenticeship system. This volume proved very influential in the campaign to abolish the system, and provides valuable first-hand information on the contemporary social conditions in the West Indies, and attitudes to former slaves.

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