What Role Did The Enlightenment Play In The Abolition Of The Slave Trade

1349 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effect of industrial revolution on slavery

An abolition of the slave trade in Scotland in 1807 was largely influence by moral issues but political and economic factors also played an important role. The Enlightenment brought new ideas of thinking about humans as equals . Christian values caused the public to see the slave trade as immoral . Many Scots had already made a lot of money off the slave trade which may have caused them to be more open to the idea of the abolition of the slave trade . Revolutions in Haiti, America and France showed the government what could happen if they did not make changes to the slave trade . Morals were also used to prove that slavery was acceptable which shows that morals must have been important in people’s opinions of slavery at the time . All of these factors show that not only were morals and important factor in the abolition of slavery in Scotland, but so were political and economic factors. …show more content…

The Enlightenment brought about new thinking throughout the world. In particular, new ideas about humans being equal to each other was important for the abolition of the slave trade. This new thinking was an important factor of the French and American revolutions and this continued on into the slave trade abolition. This new thinking also brought about more changes to society after the slave trade abolition such a child labour laws and factory legislation . This new thinking changed people’s morals. Now people believed that everyone was equal to each other no matter what race, age or class . It was this new thinking that caused people to demand the slave trade be abolished in Scotland . The moral issue of equality (that was started during the Enlightenment) was an important factor in the abolition of the slave trade in Scotland because it changed people’s

Show More
Related

  • Slavery in America between 1800 and 1860

    724 Words  | 2 Pages

    Between 1800 and 1860 slavery in the American South had become a ‘peculiar institution’ during these times. Although it may have seemed that the worst was over when it came to slavery, it had just begun. The time gap within 1800 and 1860 had slavery at an all time high from what it looks like. As soon as the cotton production had become a long staple trade source it gave more reason for slavery to exist. Varieties of slavery were instituted as well, especially once international slave trading was banned in America after 1808, they had to think of a way to keep it going – which they did. Nonetheless, slavery in the American South had never declined; it may have just come to a halt for a long while, but during this time between 1800 and 1860, it shows it could have been at an all time high.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between The Enlightenment And Great Awakening

    1091 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Enlightenment political thought helped the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in England. James II wanted to strengthen his royal power alone and weaken the militia while raising his own army. The Enlightenment helped the English opponent to come forth and overthrow their king with the help of the Prince William of Orange and his wife Mary. They then reestablished the monarchy and accepted the Parliaments Bill of Rights. With the Enlightenment period, individuals helped get their words out and they learned to questions their ideals and beliefs. With the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the individuals were able to overthrown their king and establish the representative government and that a well-regulated militia under the locals control was best for everyone. The Enlightenment political thought helped the Glorious Revolution to establish a representative government and take control on what’s best for

    Read More

  • Differences Between the North and South that Led to the Civil War

    1460 Words  | 3 Pages

    After the American Revolution, slavery began to decrease in the North, just as it was becoming more popular in the South. By the turn of the century, seven of the most Northern states had abolished slavery. During this time, a surge of democratic reform swept the North to the West, and there were demands for political equality, economic and social advances for all Americans. Northerners said that slavery revoked the human right of being a free person and when new territories became available i...

    Read More

  • Was Slavery The Main Cause Of The Civil War Essay

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...1There were more slaves in the Southern states of America, as the conditions were better for the slaves to work on a plantation to make cotton. Conflicts started between the “Slave” and “Free” states and increased more as religious groups such as the Quakers began to argue that slavery was a moral evil. As a result of this conflict slavery was abolished in the Northern states between 1774 and 1804. In the South slavery was an essential as they needed large amounts of unskilled labour for their cotton plantations.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The American Revolution And The Enlightenment

    703 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Enlightenment period in Europe was a shift in the way that society thought about power and liberty. The ideals of this period helped to inspire the revolutions of the 18th century. The American colonies desired liberty from foreign rule, the French wanted to increase the power of the people in their class structure, and the Haitians fought for representation for the millions of slaves on their island. While the ideas of the enlightenment were not fully employed in each of these revolutions, they brought the nations closer to a fully representative government, rather than one of absolute power.

    Read More

  • Western Civilization: The French Revolution

    1633 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Enlightenment itself ignited the changes in perspective that were needed to provoke improvement in society and set new standards for our future. These standards spread rather rapidly across Europe and eventually to America and challenged the old order. These ideas of rational thinking over religion and authority delivered a vast political change throughout the world which can still be felt today. These revolutionary thoughts of rationalism brought on freedom of speech and the demand for equality in society. This was not only the igniter to the French revolution but was also, how many governments including the United States based their modern

    Read More

  • How Slavery Affected Colonial America

    998 Words  | 2 Pages

    Slavery was a practice in many countries in the 17th and 18th centuries, but its effects in human history was unique to the United States. Many factors played a part in the existence of slavery in colonial America; the most noticeable was the effect that it had on the personal and financial growth of the people and the nation. Capitalism, individualism and racism were the utmost noticeable factors during this most controversial period in American history. Other factors, although less discussed throughout history, also contributed to the economic rise of early American economy, such as, plantationism and urbanization. Individually, these factors led to an enormous economic growth for the early American colonies, but collectively, it left a social gap that we are still trying to bridge today.

    Read More

  • Slavery During the Enlightenment and the Frech Revolution

    457 Words  | 1 Pages

    There were many views on the issue of slavery during the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, and the resolution of slavery affected. economics, politics, and social order. The slave trade triangle between Europe, West Africa, and the Indies. great effect on European economics during this time. The only way for this elaborate trade triangle to work is if there were black Africans available for export to the Indies as slaves.

    Read More

  • Chapter 16: Diving Further into American Slavery

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a struggling country, America’s south discovered slavery as a way to gain financial stability. Except, slavery grew into much more than a need for money. It became a social thing and also a controversial topic among politicians, especially with the emergence of abolitionism. Even after slavery, it became a great learning opportunity to ensure that it never happens again.

    Read More

  • Essay On Slave Trade

    1329 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since the beginning of slavery in the America, Africans have been deemed inferior to the whites whom exploited the Atlantic slave trade. Africans were exported and shipped in droves to the Americas for the sole purpose of enriching the lives of other races with slave labor. These Africans were sold like livestock and forced into a life of servitude once they became the “property” of others. As the United States expanded westward, the desire to cultivate new land increased the need for more slaves. The treatment of slaves was dependent upon the region because different crops required differing needs for cultivation. Slaves in the Cotton South, concluded traveler Frederick Law Olmsted, worked “much harder and more unremittingly” than those in the tobacco regions.1 Since the birth of America and throughout its expansion, African Americans have been fighting an uphill battle to achieve freedom and some semblance of equality. While African Americans were confronted with their inferior status during the domestic slave trade, when performing their tasks, and even after they were set free, they still made great strides in their quest for equality during the nineteenth century.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Slavery

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    Slavery, a very sensitive subject to many and the root of many problems still plaguing this country today. Before officially coming to an end, there was a great political controversy regarding whether or not it should remain or be abolished. During this time reforms took place and in turn different movements were created in order to eliminate slavery in the southern states. Abolitionist were stepping forward arguing against the immorality and inhumanity of it. On the other hand, supporters of proslavery argued to keep it, by making every effort to justify it legally by downplaying the slave’s mental capacity and inferiority in society

    Read More

  • Slavery DbQ

    1219 Words  | 3 Pages

    A changing attitude in the North toward slavery changed the outlook of life for both free and enslaved blacks. As is shown in the maps of slavery in the U.S. in 1790 and 1830, while the South experienced a massive increase in slavery due to the demand for American cotton, and the west expanded slavery because of the newly available land for farming cotton from the Louisiana Purchase, the North’s slavery greatly dropped off, almost to none. Many slave owners freed their slaves upon death, as it was uneconomical for them to own them in the first place when they did not need them for labor with a more diversified northern economy emerging. Pressure morally to end slavery also led to ...

    Read More

  • The Enlightment Caused the French Revolution

    1409 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Enlightenment encouraged people to question divine right, the God-given authority rulers claimed to have (Enlightenment, Its Origins and the French Revolution 15). Finally, it made the third estate realize how the taxation was simply greed. It made their eyes open to the fact that they were paying taxes so the state, clergy, and nobles wouldn’t suffer financially.... ... middle of paper ...

    Read More

  • Why Was Slavery and the Slave Trade Abolished?

    413 Words  | 1 Pages

    In 1807, the slave trade was abolished by the British Parliament. It became illegal to buy and sell slaves, but people could still own them. In 1833 Parliament finally abolished slavery itself, both in Britain and throughout the British Empire. Why, when the slave trade and the plantations in the West Indies seemed to be making so much money, were they abolished? It was due to a mixture of white campaigners, slaves and economics of the slave trade which finally brought slavery to an end.

    Read More

  • Slavery and Abolition

    1581 Words  | 4 Pages

    The term slave is defined as a person held in servitude as the chattel of another, or one that is completely passive to a dominating influence. The most well known cases of slavery occurred during the settling of the United States of America. From 1619 until July 1st 1928 slavery was allowed within our country. Slavery abolitionists attempted to end slavery, which at some point; they were successful at doing so. This paper will take the reader a lot of different directions, it will look at slavery in a legal aspect along the lines of the constitution and the thirteenth amendment, and it will also discuss how abolitionists tried to end slavery. This paper will also discuss how slaves were being taken away from their families and how their lives were affected after.

    Read More

More about What Role Did The Enlightenment Play In The Abolition Of The Slave Trade

Open Document