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Minutes for the Committee for Abolition of Slavery

1787

Abolitionist meeting notes

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    While more people in Britain than ever before were enjoying luxuries like sugar, cotton and rum, the majority of these goods were produced by slave labour in the plantations of South America and the Caribbean. During the 1700s around 11 million slaves were exported by European merchants from Africa to the slave colonies.

     

    A British political group known as the Abolitionists objected to the slave trade on humanitarian grounds. In 1787, the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the African Slave Trade was established. The minutes of that very first meeting on 22 May 1787 are shown here, recording the 12 original members, including the MP William Wilberforce. The minutes began: "At a Meeting held for the Purpose of taking the Slave Trade into consideration, it was resolved that the said Trade was both impolitick and unjust."

     

    In 1807, the British government passed an Act of Parliament abolishing the slave trade throughout the British Empire. However, this only served to stop the transportation of Africans across the Atlantic and did not stop slavery itself. Later, in July 1833, the Slavery Abolition Bill was passed, but even then, only slaves under six years old were freed immediately. Others had to work for four years as unpaid apprentices - slavery by another name. Finally, on 1 August 1838, 800,000 slaves were freed.

     

    More that 200 years after the 1807 Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, slavery and human trafficking still exist in some parts of the world.

     

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    Minutes of Committee for Abolition of Slavery

    May 22 1787

     

    At a Meeting held for the Purpose of taking the Slave Trade

    into Consideration, it was resolved that the said Trade

    was both impolitick and unjust.

     

    Resolved, that Granville Sharp, Joseph Woods, Sam-

    uel Hoare junior, William Dillwyn, George Harrison,

    James Phillips, Richard Phillips, Thomas Clarkson,

    Philip Sansom, John Lloyd, Joseph Hooper and John

    Barton to be a Committee for procuring such Information

    and Evidence, and for distributing Clarkson's Essay and

    such other Publications, as may tend to the Abolition of

    the Slave-Trade, and for directing the Application of

    such monies, as are already, or may hereafter be col-

    lected, for the above Purposes.

     

    Resolved, that three members be a Quorum.

     

    Resolved, that Samuel Hoare junior be appointed

    Treasurer to the Society.

     

    Resolved, that the Treasurer pay no money on Account

    of this Society, but by Order of the Committee.

     

    Resolved, that one hundred copies of these resolutions

    be printed, with this addition, viz. The Subscripti-

    -ons of such, as are disposed to contribute towards car-

    -rying on the Design of this Institution, will be received

    by the Treasurer, or any Member of the Committee.

     

    Adjourned to Thursday Evening May the 24th at six

    o'clock.

Find out more about the Abolitionist meeting notes Here

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