Why Did Britain Abolish Slavery in 1833? (Pt 2)

'Why Did Britain Abolish Slavery in 1833? (Pt 2)'
Documentary series exploring the abolition of Slavery in the British Dominions in 1833.
In Episode 2 of this documentary series, Luke Tomes explores the gradual deterioration of the West India Interest, its power base weakened by political reform in the United Kingdom, a decline in the value of sugar and an inspired slave rebellion in Jamaica (1831/2) which unearthed the true nature of West Indian Colonists and demonstrated the instability of the institution.
He also touches upon the agonising moral dilemma abolitionists faced on the subject of compensation; the financial remuneration planters received from the government as a form of repayment for their “lost property”.
Presented by Luke Tomes. Featuring Dr Christer Petley.
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#historyhit #abolition #slavery
00:00 Introduction
01:34 The Jewel in the Crown
08:09 Wages or The Whip
11:59 A Bloody Uprising
27:53 Reform and Retreat
39:38 The Mighty Experiment
48:07 Why Did Britain Abolish Slavery?

[@HistoryHit]

We hope you have enjoyed this series on the Abolition of Slavery in British Dominions. What do you think was the most influential factor in the UK government's decision to emancipate all enslaved people across the British Empire?

[@ducthman4737]

What are you talking about. Just try not to pay your income tax or other direct tax and find out how long you stay free. Slavery has never been abolished it just changed its appearance. How can you be/feel free in a Big Brother state?

[@Sammy_H]

@@ducthman4737 have a day off

[@louise-yo7kz]

@@Sammy_H 🥴

[@residentelect]

@@louise-yo7kz My cringe just cringed at Dutchman's reply... 😖

[@edwardcollins921]

What do you think was the most influential factor? Money, emancipation was, in the end the most luctrative.

[@lreg43]

If only all documentaries were this good. 5 stars.

[@omalone1169]

I'm going to watch part 1

[@everythingiseverything6328]

LIES THAT SERVES THE TYRANTS!!!! CHATTLE SLAVERY WAS RENAMED TO COLONIALISM, AND COLONIALISM WAS EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE !!!!🤦🏾🕷

[@dabedwards]

Absolutely first class documentary, full of interesting well researched detail, and depicting the struggles and compromises that are ever a feature of political change. The quality of the story-telling, and the way it engaged us was superb. It was simply told, but beautifully constructed. I imagine it was produced on a tiny budget but was more effective than many a big costly documentary. It tells a fantastic story of idealism and morality, and of cynical greed. I am embarrassed to say I had only a hazy notion of these events, which continue to resonate in the present day.

[@HistoryHit]

Thanks Adrian, we really appreciate your kind words!

[@b3any925]

As a great lover of history. This documentary was just full of interesting things that even I didn’t know. So educational and gives a greater insight into the slave trade.

[@wendigo53]

In OUR portion of the British empire, slavery had already abolished long before 1833. In "The 1793 Act to Limit Slavery in Upper Canada" (now Ontario), new slaves could not be imported or traded; and existing slaves got their freedom after a "grandfather" period (25 years?). This protected the "property" rights of existing slave owners, while providing a roadmap to a slaveless society. (Hard luck on the existing slaves...) Slavery wasn't a huge thing here even before that; some Indigenous people kept slaves, and some rich white people in the cities.

[@williamrobinson7435]

Lucidly and well presented. Thanks for this! 👍

[@bestproto5117]

The entire goal of this documentary is to libel conservatives as racists and to link slavery to Conservatism They also tried to link slavery to religion and use it to defame Christianity....

[@meme4one]

Can you imagine making such a big social, political and economic change in 2022?

[@goyasolidar]

People couldn't even fathom wearing masks in 2022...

[@L.C.Sweeney]

What, like forcing everybody to stay in their houses for the better part of a year? Can't imagine anything like it.

[@tonymoulson1194]

@@L.C.Sweeney nice 👌

[@Dusk.EighthLegion]

@@L.C.Sweeney Maybe if people actually fucking listened and stayed inside, the fucking thing would be over by now.

[@tonymoulson1194]

@@Dusk.EighthLegion who died and made you god ??

[@prismpyre7653]

very well done and informative, thank you

[@omalone1169]

Britain is proudly liberal

[@marcotylerwilliams4090]

Thank you so much for such a great, in-depth look at the ending of slavery. You are so right to conclude that it was pragmatism that won the day - sadly. And what Buxton stated rang loud and clear - and brings tears to one's eyes. But, there again, the "Empire" was built on pragmatism, for good or ill (mostly ill, I hasten to to surmise), but there it is. What I would now love to see is an equally in-depth look at the vast slave trade that went East. I would also love to know more about the vast sum of money the British parliament agreed to pay the kingdom of Benin to cease trading in slaves after the brief campaign against that kingdom. I fear we cannot forget that slaves were often, if not mostly, bought "on the beach" by slave traders from africans who were willing to deal in such a vile trade. Look forward to more on such an evil business.

[@paulbantick8266]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/lX_SiHyQq55pgbc

[@laurenceseale]

This should be shown in ALL British schools.

[@katherinecollins4685]

Very informative

[@grantgrow]

The compensation claims are amazing. The slave owners made profits on human beings, they profited for decades. They acted like they were the victims

[@historyonthego]

Apparently the British public is in pain for that it’s up until 2015

[@josm1206]

They were rich, powerful people. The US slave owners didn't give their property up without a fight, would the others? It was just the most practical solution to getting rid of slavery quickly.

[@michelej9496]

​@moonraker2034slavery by devine law was not legitimate. "The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully." -Ezekiel 22:29

[@michelej9496]

@moonraker2034 I never said YOU said devine law, I said it. The point: "The kingdom of God is an order of government established by divine authority. It is the only legal government that can exist in any part of the universe." -Orson Pratt Men of corrupt minds are laws are evil and ungodly, that's how they rule by people believing their laws vs devine law. "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn." Proverbs 29:2 KJV

[@michelej9496]

@moonraker2034 how do you know that they were Hebrew slaves? Can you discern good from evil? How long were the less melaninated people of the earth kept in bondage? "An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity." Proverbs 19:28 KJV

[@TheMormonPower]

It's too bad, that America couldn't have found such a form of peaceful non-bloody way to bring about an end of slavery, without resorting to civil war. Although paying off the slave holders was not an ideally perfect way to bring about an end to slavery, it would have been an alternative to hundreds of thousands of deaths.

[@beardedlonewolf7695]

Did you know how Africans stopped from selling these slaves?

[@MrMyers758]

Pretty sure American slave owners were compensated too.

[@notnek202]

It’s too bad the British brought slavery to the US in the first place.

[@historyonthego]

The Civil war was started to save the union

[@josm1206]

What was the ideal way to bring about the end of slavery? You think the slave owners would willingly give up their property for free? The American slave owners didn't? Sadly, it was the most practical solution to bring the end as quickly as possible. It's worth noting, a quarter of Jamaica's slaves were owned by black and mixed race people.

[@ClaireG1331]

Even though we all know slavery was abolished, this documentary had me on the edge of my seat as the fight against slavery came up against such immense and repeated obstacles.......I confess I had only a very sketchy understanding of these events, so thankyou for a superb documentary..... I shall watch it more than just the once as it is so packed with information!!! Well done to all who must have worked so hard to make this 👏

[@user-kl9sr4ry6s]

thanx

[@mavrospanayiotis]

The real argument against slavery was: from now on your slaves will have to buy their houses with their salary and so their food, clothes, and you will sell this stuff to them; they're going to pay taxes to make roads, canals, railways and so on. Their conditions will improve, but you will continue to keep what they produce and decide if they can work or not.

[@tomnicholson2115]

It's true, economic slavery still exists but at least they can't whip you for letting a pot boil over! Unless we get a system where all can gain some profit for working in someone's business, a form of economic slavery will continue to exist.

[@clivebaxter6354]

why the music over narration, what's the point?

[@amazonglamazon6633]

Dramatics!!

[@Seraphus87]

As morally wrong as it may seem to have compensated the slave-holders rather than the slaves, it was a price worth paying for the freedom of the enslaved.

[@xchen3079]

The logic is: Slaves were the legitimate private property of slave owners then. The state has no right to deprive private property. So the only legal mean for abolition was to buy the properties from their legal owners. You pay to the owners not to the properties. The payment from British tax only finished 2005(not sure exact year). I have started paying British tax before that, so I had my contribution to end slavery though very tiny.

[@TracyD2]

@@xchen3079 I learned something today.

[@xchen3079]

@@TracyD2 More information. In 1833, Britain used £20 million, 40% of its national budget, to buy freedom for all slaves in the Empire. The amount of money borrowed for the Slavery Abolition Act was so large that it wasn't paid off until 2015.

[@AT-gu8by]

@@TracyD2 Want to learn more? kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGXOemWeaM6iqqM

[@davidatkinson5858]

So the British empire should have gone to war with every foreign regime that didn't agree with them? What a utterly ridiculous statement

[@scottbrandon6244]

It was abolished since it was no longer socially acceptable in 1833. Canada abolished slavery for similar reasons shortly in 1834. The U.S. kept it for so long despite social pressure in the northern states to abolish it. Part of the reason was the entire economy of the south was dependent upon slavery for labour supply. They had to be dragged kicking and screaming out of it with a civil war.

[@notnek202]

The civil war was not about slavery it was about states leaving the union.

[@MJ31579]

My question is, why did the scramble for Africa and colonisation follow soon after. (Asking an honest question. If slavery was already accepted as wrong by 1833, why did colonisation continue)

[@michelej9496]

​@@notnek202it was, if Lincoln had said that no one would fight for the Union, it was a "THE EMANCIPATION STRATEGY." kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYa5nIuqnbGtatksi=i9211kygHF1t47Ks

[@baraahhamdi8533]

freedom is contagious

[@vishypai7554]

Wonderful documentary! Unfortunately, the west Indian interest immediately found a cunning work-around solution to replace slavery in the garb of legal slavery: Indentured Labour!

[@hirepgym6913]

It was a time for changes not just in Britain Quakers had played a part who had powerful friends in Westminster in 1837 they banned blood sports too and closed the Rit they had also joined forces with Holland and America to take down the Barbary Pirates

[@michelej9496]

👌

[@newnormal1841]

To many little people were becoming richer than the crown. 🤺💐

[@RenegadeRanga]

Only one form of slavery was abolished. If you look at the prison system they are slaves through admiralty law. Involuntary servitude was abolished but they found a legal way for voluntary servitude.

[@is43v4]

It is easy with hindsight to say slavery was defeated because it was outdated because the world is a better place without it, the world would always have been better without slavery, slavery is never in date. However, that new world was created not by economists but by people with a vision and a moral compass who said slavery was wrong. Those who say religion is always bad should take a look at history. Fascinating documentary.

[@louise-yo7kz]

Vive Samuel Sharp!! ONH

[@peterkavanagh64]

The corporate tax back dated will enable this to happen in a civilised law abiding way as taxes are a law on production and bringing criminal to bay

[@elagabalusrex390]

Two words: Great Awakening. All the Bible thumpers came out in force and shamed Parliament into it. The same probably would have been true in the U.S. if the southern cotton industry hadn't existed.

[@simplesimon5739]

James Blair got compensation. I wonder who he is related to. It wasn't a loan it was issued as a guilt on the bond market. It had every involvement of a Rothscild and was paid out twice a year at great expense. It could of been settled in 1957. A certain Cameron family got compensation as well. De de de dav,..?

[@peterkavanagh64]

Bring the deaf and dub and the blind and the deaf or.this sides council hold this swords find the levers to slavery if free nature can decide not the good to bring hell to hell's fire

[@joseeallyn9950]

Again a comment that might be seen as antipatriotic in America has been 'vanished' from this comment site. I am sorry.

[@isabellakate3429]

This pandemic has taught not to rely on the government for assistance. A lot of us started taking our journey towards financial freedom more serious! I advice everyone to start your financial journey right now because 6 months Of negotiating doesn't make any sense no matter what side you're on!

[@hatsapp-oz2ol]

Well if you feel broke or you wanna get richer, look at the chart for Apple, Amazon, Tesla, Etsy, McDonalds. Then look at the chart for gold and silver. Then ask yourself what you would rather invest your hard earned money in. Also look at the charts for these stocks during the 2008 financial Crises and global pandemic of 2020. Did gold live to its promise as safe-haven ? Gold and silver crashed together with stocks. So if you want to start building wealth with your hard earned money, which asset is better? The chart speaks for the truth louder than the hot air coming out from the mouths of gold and silver bags I rather invest in bitcoins, make more than enough of my capital rather than to continue to recycle in gold and silver that always promises to be a long term investment year in year out.

[@EngrFelix-wb4fn]

I did get introduced to this expert from a comment section on twitter and began trading with them and their services did yeild positive result in a space of 1 week

[@EngrFelix-wb4fn]

@lucky I was able to sustain weekly earnings put to $50,350 with every $20,500 I invest

[@peterkavanagh64]

Housing

[@peterkavanagh64]

If the young families settle in affordable morgatate homes then if with autonomy , not to be a slave is the key in housing leverage away from consumption. The individuals on the doses of the youth not settled and the yiuht themselves consume huge amounts of food to wank nit to have Thier files and Thier love . The nature would prefer normality. As you g family in this time happy with others and summilars . But freee the housing to find the workers and this to Thier ownerships not via a large groups wonder . But Thier own ideas . Then yo can eat less as the angers will subside

[@marcotylerwilliams4090]

Please don't be an ignoramus. People are hanged, not hung.

[@zacksmith2227]

It was in my opinion about simple economics and cost .Britain could not control the market after the American war of independence. Not cost effective. Americans were in charge of the market and could dictate the price for enslaved Africans. Where before British merchants sold and controlled the market now American merchants took control of the market after the American war of independence. By controlling and maintaining the slave population American slave merchants could rely on the home slave population to produce more slaves for the home market rather than have them shipped in from Africa.

[@cowwithbling1274]

Hey, that is a really interesting point. Would you say slavery was ended more because of economic reasons in Europe?

[@brunosezini1000]

That's not true, the Americans of the time did rely on domestic slave labor because the slave trade was abolished in United States in 1807. And slavery continued to be immensely profitable for many landlords, take Cuba and Brazil for examples that would keep slavery until the end of the 19th century. Also most of the abolitionists were religious men and philanthropists, they genuinely believe that abolition of this horrendous practice was the right thing to do.

[@zacksmith2227]

@@brunosezini1000 I understand it's not easy concept to understand but please try understand.Portugal Spain France UK were the main drivers of slave labour within the global economy of trading and buying slaves in the 16-19 century. The logistics of that was enormous. Ships men slaves transport maintenance.why transport men women children thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa when u can create slaves u already own through forced population control to take over work done by the ancestors. The children of slaves take the place of their grandparents and parents. Although it might seem as a prosperous business industrialization and scientific progress refined the whole process.so rather than use horses man power to refine sugar alcohol tobacco rice cotton the fuel which propelled the slave trad e ,machines became the means to fuel the ecomomy of the slave trade. A crude example would be before we had multiple search engine on our computers bing Yahoo blue yonder ntl now it's all refined and standardized making less room for computer program slaves who do the job without the questions of the past.

[@josm1206]

@@zacksmith2227 I think it's you who struggling to understand the facts. The US imported relatively few slaves, 400,000. Brazil imported 4.5 million. America was never a large market. Indeed, as hard as it may be for people to understand, the US slaves were treated 'relatively' well in that they lived and multiplied so the US didn't have to keep importing more. Unlike Brazil and some of the other colonies. Further, as noted, the abolition movement in the US was strong in the North and commitments were already being made to abolish slavery. The South, as history attests, had other ideas. But imports of slaves became illegal in 1807.

[@AndrewGruffudd]

Okay, good as far as it goes - but you talk as if slavery was not endemic in the human condition up until that point. Indeed, you don't mention that William the Conqueror had ruled slavery effectively illegal during his reign, leading to the celebrated case involving Granville Sharpe towards the end of the 18th century. It may be that your remit was somewhat narrow for practical reasons (I'm in the film business myself), but context is king.

[@vincewhite5087]

Sadly the free labour in w indies, didn’t inspire the former slaves.

[@jacob-67tune18]

If I'm not mistaken France or Belgium was the last commonwealth to abolish slavery? Ah yes the great liberators

[@marcuscoquer5958]

Britain only got around to fully abolishing slavery in 2010…

[@bigenglishmonkey]

@@marcuscoquer5958 that's actually incorrect England banned selling outside of the country in 1067 and decided to outright ban it altogether in 1110 which later extended to Scotland and Ireland then there was the ban on the transportation of slaves in 1807 then the banning of slavery in the empire altogether in 1833, there's also other laws in-between that targeted specific types of slavery when people tried to use technicalities to get around the law. the one your speaking about just consolidates all of those previous laws then added modern day slavery on top.

[@bigenglishmonkey]

@@marcuscoquer5958 and encase your wondering what's the difference its things like bringing in foreign workers who are either illegal or don't speak English and paying them either nothing or less than minimum wage knowing they cant go to the authorities for help stuff like that

[@jojokeavy2835]

Well it was alive in Éire in 1847... My history goes back another 200 years Before that .

[@davidatkinson5858]

Ireland was the biggest slave market in Europe in Viking times.

[@jubhgioubgob]

Because the people were disgusted by their establishments actions. If it was for the British establishment, ut would still be ongoing.

[@amazonglamazon6633]

Compensation of the Slave Holders and not the slaves is preposterous!!

[@paulbantick8266]

No it wasn't! It saved countless thousands of lives. There would have been an uprising which would have caused the deaths of many more slaves, British troops sent to enforce the emancipation, and those of the opposing white owners and militias.

[@josm1206]

No, just pragmatic. What other practical options were there? A war, like the US?

[@julianshepherd2038]

We usually did things to annoy the French in those days. And these days.

[@chrismac2234]

It is such a shame that the Iron Duke, whom I regard as the greatest strategic mind in the world. Was so fearful of the lower classes, and taints his legacy as a result, in my eyes.

[@BasedinReality1984]

Now we even let them live amongst us. Crazy times !

[@amazonglamazon6633]

What?!! 🙄

[@MJ31579]

Trying to understand how slavery was seen as morally wrong, but colonisation and the scramble for Africa followed soon after.

[@petersmith6508]

It was pure economics. It was cheaper to pay wages than to house, feed and keep your slaves healthy and productive.

[@sidjoosin6549]

It was legal only because of not even one God's Messenger were British, thus some of them (like Abraham or Jacob) were slaveowners, and some of them (like Jesus) seems like lack of resolution in this question, this is the reason why before world was saved from evil there was no Law (aka "religion") that forbade this immoral practice. And now we are blessed

[@juliankennedy6525]

Ummmh...

[@davidatkinson5858]

Eight centuries of African predations prior didn't happen then?

[@yotaiji012]

Because they already made enough money from it

[@moc7323]

Ya never make enough money ..

[@nigelsheppard625]

They bankrupted themselves in ending slavery, so how was it of benefit? It was also a bottom up movement with the most disenfranchised being at the head of the anti slavery movement. Organisations such as the Quakers and the Methodists whose congregation was overwhelmingly manual working class and which were considered seditious by the government preached against slavery,

[@yotaiji012]

@@grievuspwn4g3 oh damn hahaha

[@nonameking4874]

8,900 views on a video about slavery. Looks like few people are interested sadly.

[@historyonthego]

There are many video on this topic and some of millions of views

[@resonatorneuronium5324]

I think there are just as many slaves today hidden away in car washes and stuff

[@dr.jaynewest3354]

It abolished the slave trade not slavery .

[@HistoryHit]

The slave trade abolition act was ratified in 1807, and the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833.

[@amazonglamazon6633]

Very good point.

[@dysnomia-anarchia]

Actually, Britan moved to abolish slavery in it's American colonies before 1776. It's what led the the American Revolutionary War - lets just say the rich white American planters and businessmen... aka, "the Founding Fathers", did not want to and were not ready give up their slaves that had created their posh lifestyle in the New World as rich land owners." THe United States was founded sadly to perpetuate slavery... when England was moving to end it and the Americans wanted nothing to do with that. It was aready illegal inside Engand itself and most of Europe.. slavery was out of style except in the far corners of the 3rd world empire where it was ingrianed in the culture from thousands of years. In America however, which was primary settled by EUropeans, there was no excuse for it from Englands point of view.

[@MelGibsonFan]

This is absolutely ahistorical. By the time of the revolution multiple colonies had already moved to abolish slavery. Britain still profited from slavery and indentured servitude in its colonies so the idea that they would move to ban slavery when it was immensely profitable doesn’t make any sense. Especially considering the crown had to be shamed out of supporting the confederacy because they were worried their precious cotton would become more expensive without slave labor.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

Em C, It didn't make sense that Britain wanted to abolish slavery because it was very profitable? Um but that's EXACTLY what Britain did. Britain abolished slavery DESPITE it being very profitable.

[@MelGibsonFan]

@@lyndoncmp5751 I'm not understanding your response. Britain still profited from slavery, a policy doesn't have to be implemented domestically for it to profit off of it's practice abroad. That's why I brought up the confederacy. Up until Lincoln shamed the crown, they had relied on American cotton, harvested by slave labor and moved to support the confederates. Iirc The Slavery Abolition Act did not apply to British North America. It was implemented to weaken Caribbean mega plantations for reasons relating to trade and commerce. Yes abolitionism was a big factor in GB, but there were imo stronger economical/political reasons behind the abolition.

[@notnek202]

The British brought it to America in the first place. Trying to end it was to little to late & they sure kept it going in the Caribbean colonies didn’t they. Slavery was outlawed in New York, Connecticut Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont by the time of the revolution.

[@christinemiddleton4476]

@@MelGibsonFan Erm, I would prefer to be polite-but your opinion leaves a lot to be desired..i.e. its a load of bollocks. Show the receipts!🙄

[@cuber9320]

Abolish? Or perfected?

[@davidmarwood775]

Well are there any slaves in Britain? No. So it was abolished. All nations, races and ethnicities have engaged in slavery, it is as old as the human race itself. Yet there is only one nation, when at the height of its power, sought to end slavery not just in its own territories but around the world. And that nation is the U.K.

[@occidentalexplorer1125]

The Africans started the African slave trade and still continue with it today in 2022.

[@cuber9320]

@@davidmarwood775 define the word slave or slavery.

[@jbo4547]

@@davidmarwood775 awww you believe that shite

[@TheWaveGoodbye-Music]

@@davidmarwood775 but not every slave trade throughout history was based upon racial superiority. When the Romans or Vikings took slaves it didn't matter who or where they were from, it just mattered they were vanquished foes. The Atlantic slave trade was based upon racial superiority as well as religious and cultural.

[@jimwalsh1958space]

good. easily digestable morsals parcelled out with cluncky sound quality over-dubed commentary. has a 'kids style saturday morning' feel which is excellent for young people. sorry for being picky.

[@vincewhite5087]

Paul sent a Greek slave back to his Christian leader master to serve him. The two masters was money & God.

[@mandogvan4513]

Tories haven't changed much in 200 years.

[@AT-gu8by]

The Haitians were the first to Abolish slavery, they scared the British into it, years later, around the time the enslaved in the Americas At one point were outnumbering the white ruling class in the Americas, hence more migration from Britain and Europe in the mid to late 19th century to maintain the status quo, this is also why slaves were banned from reading, earlier, because they didn’t want a repeat of 1804 and the talk of revolution. This is the real reason. The whole charade of the British etc ,suddenly having a moral compass, and a conscience when they profited billions is laughable.

[@davidatkinson5858]

Stupid person. It's relatively easy to abolish something in the territories you control completely. It's a different matter to force the whole world to agree with you....mostly at gunpoint 💪🇬🇧. If Europeans made billions then Africans must of made trillions dummy