History Resources

Guided Readings: Slavery and Abolition

Sid Lapidus Collection: Liberty and the American Revolution

Introduction

The campaign to end slavery was a prolonged struggle. In England and in America in the eighteenth century, some authors such as Daniel Defoe and Samuel Johnson in England depicted slavery as ugly and immoral. In the 1750s, Quaker groups in the colonies began taking public positions against slavery, yet they remained a minority as few colonists spoke out against slavery on religious grounds. In 1776 most White Americans either accepted slavery or actually enslaved people, while others participated in the slave trade.

Documents

  • John Newton, Thoughts upon the African Slave Trade (London, 1788).
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    John Henry Newton (1725–1807), was involved with the slave trade as a young man. After experiencing a religious conversion, he became a minister, hymn writer, and later a dedicated supporter of the abolition of slavery. He was the author of many hymns, including “Amazing Grace.”
  • Description of a Slave Ship (London, 1789).
    The deck plan of the British ship Brookes illustrates the inhumane method of transporting enslaved people, effectively making them human cargo. This illustration, based on a broadside published by the British Abolitionist Society in 1789, was a highly effective propaganda tool for the anti-slavery movement.

Questions for Discussion

  1. Imagine you were interviewing John Newton (author of Thoughts upon the African Slave Trade) and write questions asking why he supported the movement to end slavery and why he chose to publish his book.
  2. Examine the illustration from Description of a Slave Ship carefully and discuss how it could have been used as an effective propaganda tool for the anti-slavery movement.