When did slavery end in the world

This blog post was written by Alton Coston, III, advocacy intern at the ACLU of Virginia.

America — a country established on July 4, 1776, that prides itself of being a place where “all men are created equal,” yet inequities fostered from race, wealth and social status have festered in existence to this very day. A country that went to war with a government that strangled it under a tyrannical English crown, is similar to a constant war that some Black people encounter daily as they leave their homes questioning if their lives will be taken at a moment’s notice. A country where finally affirming the importance of Juneteenth, also known as Black Independence Day, has been long overdue.

On June 19, 1865, enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, were finally made aware of their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation, even though it was enacted in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln. To think, with the simple signature of a pen and ink, thousands of enslaved Black people were instantly unshackled who had remained in servitude. However, although the initial stroking of a pen was effortless, a constitutional amendment needed to be passed in order to guarantee the abolishment of slavery.

Racism is institutional. Dismantling this system of oppression will take all of us

The 13th amendment, ratified in 1865, essentially abolished slavery, but also made it legal to exploit people as a punishment for a crime: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime.” In simpler terms, the language of the amendment legally allows incarcerated populations to provide daunting prison labor for wages less than a single dollar. Although the 13th amendment is highly praised as ending slavery, the policy was a mere illusion as opposed to a definite victory.

Juneteenth is a monumental holiday for Black Americans that is worthy of profound celebration. It marks one of the first true virtues of accountability of a system that neglects and omits Black people from life-changing opportunities— which persists to this day.

It should not have taken Virginia 155 years, from the olden-days of 1865 until present-day 2020, to recognize and celebrate a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

Although Juneteenth is a time of celebration, the ACLU of Virginia, along with millions of Black Americans, acknowledge that there is a long road ahead to dismantle centuries-old systemic inequities and racism in our criminal legal system. The work towards a more just system has been a constant state of struggle, strife and trauma for Black Americans. Additionally, the current circumstances of the world have only amplified the inequities in Black communities. The debilitating spread of COVID-19 in our prisons and jails disproportionately affect incarcerated Black men and women at alarming rates. According to the Marshall Project, there have been 1,295 cases of COVID-19 reported among prisoners in Virginia; and Virginia’s incarcerated population is comprised of 55% Black people.

The never-ending trauma Black people experience from police brutality has been heightened during these times, and the Commonwealth, country and world are finally examining the distress police brutality has on the Black community. It is an anguish that Black people cannot simply just walk away from, because they will forever and always be Black. From Emmett Till in 1955 to Sandra Bland in 2015 to Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in 2020, the stories are the same, just a different excuse for justification. From accusatory whistles to ambiguous stand your ground laws, the results are and have always been the same: another young Black person left for dead.

The ACLU of Virginia recognizes the various injustices occurring within our criminal legal system. We ultimately believe that it is no longer time for a mere plastering of the words “criminal legal reform” or “police reform” on websites and news outlets. The time has come for substantial change in combatting the disheartening, racist history that Virginia has assisted towards in the upholding of systemic racism and inequality. For far too long Black people have experienced redlining, police brutality, food deserts, lack of access to quality education, lack of employment and health care, mortgage discrimination – the list could continue for days.

We have centered our priorities on expanding the right to vote and access to the ballots, protecting and reducing the number of people who are unnecessarily jailed and incarcerated and addressing racism in policing. We see anti-Black racism’s impact through overt acts of hate and violence against Black individuals. We see it in the underlying systemic policies and practices that sanction and guide our public life in Virginia. Racism is institutional. Dismantling this system of oppression will take all of us.

It has been 155 years since Juneteenth’s inception, but it’s also taken 155 years for Virginia to fully recognize Black Independence Day as a statewide holiday. It has taken 155 years for legislators to finally be encouraged to bring about change and acknowledge institutionalized racism. It has taken 155 years and longer for America to truly recognize the humanity in its Black citizens — the people who quite literally built this country. Celebrate and rejoice the holiday of Juneteenth, as it is a joyous day to praise the ambitiousness and yearning of Black Americans; however, also seize the opportunity to reflect and accept our nation’s cruel past.

Alongside the work of famous campaigners and formerly enslaved people living in London, one of the key events in the abolition movement was a rebellion on the island of Haiti.

Learn more about the campaigns to end slavery in Britain, and how the legacies of enslavement still shape the world around us today.

Every year on 23 August, the National Maritime Museum commemorates International Slavery Remembrance Day, featuring a day of talks, workshops and performances exploring the transatlantic slave trade and its legacies.

Find out more

Between 1662 and 1807 British and British colonial ships purchased an estimated 3,415,500 Africans. Of this number, 2,964,800 survived the 'middle passage' and were sold into slavery in the Americas.
The transatlantic slave trade was the largest forced migration in human history and completely changed Africa, the Americas and Europe.
Only Portugal/Brazil transported more Africans across the Atlantic than Britain.
Until the 1730s, London dominated the British trade in enslaved people. It continued to send ships to West Africa until the end of the trade in 1807.
Because of the sheer size of London and the scale of the port’s activities, it is often forgotten that the capital was a major slaving centre.
Between 1699 and 1807, British and British colonial ports mounted 12,103 slaving voyages - with 3,351 setting out from London.

As the trade in enslaved people reached its peak in the 1780s, more and more people began to voice concerns about the moral implications of slavery and the brutality of the system.

From the beginning, the inhuman trade had caused controversy. London was the focus for the abolition campaign, being home both to Parliament and to the important financial institutions of the City.

As early as 1776, the House of Commons debated a motion 'that the slave trade is contrary to the laws of God and the rights of men'.

Ignatius Sancho was born in 1729 on a slave ship bound for the Caribbean.

Orphaned at the age of two, he was taken to Britain where he was given to three sisters in Greenwich. A chance meeting with the Duke of Montagu (1690-1749) changed the young Sancho’s life. Montagu was taken by the child’s intelligence, and encouraged his education. After Montagu’s death in 1749, Sancho persuaded his widow to take him away from his mistresses, and she hired him as a butler.

With the support of the Montagu family, Sancho established a grocery in Westminster (ironically selling slave-produced commodities). His wealth and property secured him the vote.

Sancho moved in, and corresponded with, a wide and influential social circle of nobles, actors, writers, artists and politicians. He was a supporter and patron of the arts, as well as being a composer in his own right. Sancho died in December 1780, and was the first African in Britain to receive an obituary.

Olaudah Equiano was also a hugely significant figure in the abolition campaign.

According to his autobiography, Equiano was captured in West Africa, forcibly transported to the Americas and sold into slavery. He eventually managed to buy his freedom. Equiano published his autobiography – The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings – in 1789. It was reprinted many times, becoming one of the most powerful condemnations of the trade and an enormously important piece of abolitionist literature.

The video above features historian S.I. Martin and is taken from Ships, Sea and the Stars, an online discussion series hosted by Helen Czerski.

The task faced by the abolitionists was enormous. Parliament passed legislation restricting the number of Africans that could be carried on an individual ship, but the scale of the trade continued to grow throughout the abolition campaign.

Between 1791 and 1800, around 1,340 slaving voyages were mounted from British ports, carrying nearly 400,000 Africans to the Americas. In 1798 alone, almost 150 ships left Liverpool for West Africa.

New colonies in the Caribbean and the continued consumer demand for plantation's goods fuelled the trade.

Learn more about the slave trade records in the National Maritime Museum's collections.

Detail from a cotton handkerchief created in the 19th century (ZBA2476)

Clarkson and Wilberforce were two of the most prominent abolitionists, playing a vital role in the ultimate success of the campaign.

Clarkson was a tireless campaigner and lobbyist. He made an in-depth study of the horrors of the trade and published his findings. Clarkson toured Britain and Europe to spread the abolitionist word and inspire action. As a result, the abolition campaign grew into a popular mass movement.

William Wilberforce was the key figure supporting the cause within Parliament. In 1806-07, with the abolition campaign gaining further momentum, he had a breakthrough.

Legislation was finally passed in both the Commons and the Lords which brought an end to Britain’s involvement in the trade. The bill received royal assent in March and the trade was made illegal from 1 May 1807. It was now against the law for any British ship or British subject to trade in enslaved people.

Although the abolitionists had won the end of Britain’s involvement in the trade, plantation slavery still existed in British colonies. The abolition of slavery now became the main focus of the campaign though this was a long and difficult struggle. Full emancipation was not achieved until 1838 and none of the ex-slaves received compensation.

How should our museums and public places represent the histories of transatlantic slavery?

Migration and communities

How do shared histories connect different people and communities?

How are people challenging racism and inequality today?

What and how should people learn about the history of Transatlantic Slavery?

How do you think people should respond to this today?

How does learning about other people and the past change how we understand the lives of people today?

These videos form part of the Transatlantic Slavery Enquiry Day for KS3 students at the National Maritime Museum.

You can find out more on our onsite sessions page.

Find out more

The campaign to end slavery coincided with the uprisings of the French Revolution and the retaliation of enslaved communities in the British colonies.

Revolution in Saint Domingue

On 23 August 1791 a massive revolt by enslaved Africans erupted on the island of Saint Domingue, now known as Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The uprising would play a crucial role in making Saint Domingue the first Caribbean island to declare its independence and only the second independent nation in the Western Hemisphere.

The island had become one of the wealthiest producing colonies and therefore attracted the interest of the French, the Spanish and the English, three of the world’s strongest powers at the time. There were a number of factors that led to the rebellion, one of which was the French Revolution in 1789, which called for ‘liberté, égalité, fraternité’ (liberty, equality and fraternity).

Toussaint L’Ouverture

For 13 years, the country was in a state of civil war with the enslaved fighting for their freedom under the leadership of their fellow Africans.

One of the most successful commanders was Toussaint L’Ouverture, formerly enslaved domestically. Under the military leadership of Toussaint, the freedom fighters were able to gain the upper hand and defeat the French, Spanish and British forces that attempted to regain control.

Toussaint died in 1803 but the wheels of change were in motion. The rebel forces continued to fight for their freedom and on 1 January 1804 Haiti was declared an independent republic.

The Haitian Revolution, as it became known, was the only successful slave rebellion in world history. It became a pinnacle of resistance for enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and the Americas and was a turning point in the fight to abolish transatlantic slavery.

Three years later, on 25 March 1807, King George III signed into law the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, banning trading in enslaved people in the British Empire.

Medal commemorating the ‘Emancipation in the West Indies’ (ZBA2812)

Today, 23 August is known as the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. This marks the proclamation of the first black state, Haiti – symbol of the struggle – and the triumph of the principles of liberty, equality, dignity and the rights of the individual.

Every year the National Maritime Museum hosts a day of talks, workshops and performances exploring the transatlantic slave trade and its legacies