Introduction to the Resources and Activities for Primary and Secondary Schools

Why Teach About the Abolition of Slavery?

Slavery is not located in a particular time period and place and is not exclusively linked with Black people of African heritage. However the Abolition of Slavery Act 1807 dealt exclusively with the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, between Africa and British colonies in the Caribbean and America. The condition of slavery is a constant in human history, it has happened in all societies and cultures, in the distant past, the recent past and today.

The abolition of slavery movement in the nineteenth century demonstrated that citizens of a country like Britain have the ability to effect change and shape the future through positive action. As Margaret Mead said:

‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.’ www.quotationspage.com/quotes/ Margaret _ Mead /

The teaching materials in these packs have a strong Citizenship orientation.

They do not cover the history of the transatlantic slave trade itself or life on plantations in British colonies. They focus on individuals’ experiences and on the ways in which people working together can bring about change.

The materials also challenge students to think about right and wrong and what their own feelings and responses might be in difficult and challenging situations. They encourage them to see slavery as a continuing issue, requiring action to be taken in the modern world to ensure the rights and freedom of all.

General Background Information on Transatlantic Slavery

Transatlantic slavery involved the forcible, mass movement of millions of people from the continent of Africa. It is estimated that up to 80,000 Africans each year were shipped to the Caribbean and America. This has been called ‘the conveyor belt to early death’; for that is what it meant for hundreds of thousands of men, women and children. Somewhere in the region of twelve million Africans were transported across the Atlantic. In parts of America in the eighteenth century Black slaves of African origin far out numbered White free people.

Although slavery is still an ‘unfinished business’ (Citizenship Foundation 2007) in 1807 an Act of Parliament was passed in Britain, which abolished the transatlantic slave trade. This slave trade was unlike any other, because the enslaved people were chattel slaves, in other words the unquestionable property of someone else for life. It also involved the enslavement of a group of people of similar physical characteristics and skin colour.

Throughout much of human history, societies have enslaved others, often as a result of conquest or war, but not usually because of physical characteristics or a belief in natural inferiority. Slavery pre-dates concepts of race; the transatlantic slave trade was the first time that all the enslaved people shared similar physical characteristics and were initially considered to be an ‘inferior race’.

The concept of superior and inferior, races justified social inequalities. As the race idea evolved, White superiority became “common sense” and was used to justify not only slavery, but also colonialism. The United States of America was founded on the principle that “All men are created equal’, but the economy was based largely on slavery. The idea of race and inferior races helped to justify why some people could be denied the rights and freedoms that others took for granted.

After the 1807 Act was passed it took another twenty six years before an Act in 1833 (brought into force in 1834) abolished the institution of slavery throughout the British Empire and a further five years before slaves were truly free.

The campaign to achieve this, the anti-slavery movement, was the first example of a campaign in which a broad range of British citizens were involved. The methods used by the early campaigners included forming a pressure group to lobby MPs, informing the public by newsletters, holding meetings, investigative reporting, petitions, local action groups, products to promote the campaign and consumer boycotts. All of these methods are familiar in present day campaigns to bring about change.

Why is Slavery an Unfinished Business? Slavery in a wide variety of forms continues today. People throughout the world are forced against their will, under threat of punishment and physical abuse to work as sex slaves, child soldiers, bonded labour and as forced labour. It is estimated that two million people were trafficked last year. It is also believed that eighty percent of these people were women. Apparently to buy a woman in the UK in 2007 costs between £3,000 and £8,000, which brings home hard the fact that slavery is not a thing of the past, or something which happens elsewhere. It happens here and now.

(source Anti - Slavery International)

There are three general types of slavery today. Wage slavery involves employers employing people at low wages, knowing they can't afford to risk their employment, so must stay and work for very little pay. Most child labourers can be considered to be wage slaves; contract slavery is when poor, often illiterate, people are tricked into signing contracts they do not understand, which binds them to a particular empolyer; traditional slavery is still active only it is carried out underground. In this sort of slavery people are abducted, cajouled or coerced (often in developing countries) and smuggled, or taken openly, to a foreign country and there sold; the men and male children for labour, the women and girls into domestic slavery or to work as unwilling prostitutes

There is still a campaign to be fought to free people and much work to be done campaigning for fairer, more equitable international trade and economic arrangements, to help alleviate the poverty which underpins many aspects of modern slavery.

How to Use these Materials

1. Primary School Upper Key Stage Two

These materials are designed to be embedded in the curriculum and to dovetail with on going programmes of study in a variety of subjects.

For example there are links with History KS 2 PoS 7 local history study and PoS 8b Britain in the wider world context; Reading PoS 2 and 5; Writing PoS 9 and 12. English could further be a focus through poetry, diary and letter writing; ICT could be used to put together non-fiction biographies (e.g. based on the life of figures like Pablo Fanque) as well as Kar2ouche non-fiction and fiction stories and information, covering PoS 2 and 3 in particular; Geography through a study of the triangular trade route and the countries and continents involved in the slave trade, could focus on PoS 3 knowledge and understanding of places; Citizenship (QCA non-statutory guidance) developing confidence and responsibility 1a, 1c, preparing to play an active role as citizens 2b, 2g, 2h and respecting the differences between people 4b, 4d.

2. Secondary School Key Stage Three and Four

The materials for secondary schools are based on the Citizenship Foundation’s resource ‘Ending Slavery an Un-Finished Business’. They are designed for Key Stage Three and Four. The advice below is taken directly from this document:

‘The materials could be used in discrete citizenship lessons, particularly the lessons dealing with modern slavery. They would also fit well into lessons in the history or RE classroom where the teacher wished to make a significant and identifiable contribution to citizenship within the school curriculum. In any case the citizenship teacher should talk to the cooperating department to find out what is taught in respect of the transatlantic slave trade. It makes sense to teach a combined unit with the history teacher focusing on the more specifically historical elements and the citizenship or RE teacher focusing on campaigning and on modern slavery.

With regard to the National Curriculum Citizenship Programmes of Study at Key Stages 3 and 4, the materials fit happily into the following areas:

• human rights
• pressure groups
• campaigning
• taking action
• participation
• skills of enquiry and communication
• presenting reasoned arguments
• developing discussion skills’

Websites:

http://www.primarycolours.net/homepageprimarycolours.html  The Adventures of Ottobah Cugoano Teaching Pack (a good resource from Primary Colours, looking at the experiences of an enslaved child in the 18th century)

www.citizenshipfoundation.org/

www.setallfree.net

www.antislaveryinternational.org

www.internationalslaverymuseum.org.uk

www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/

http://www.antislavery.org/breakingthesilence/index.shtml#

http://www.hlf.org.uk/hlf/themes/index.html