Reparations

I was so busy bringing PACE to you that I was unable to join in the discussion of the abolition of the slave trade as two hundred years of its abolition was recognized. I consider it my duty to make my contribution having spent the greater part of my life teaching about the slave trade.

The slave trade is one of the greatest scars on western culture where because of the overriding desire for economic gains, European Nations such as England, France, Portugal and Spain became involved in the traffic of human beings, transporting men women and children from Africa to the Americas in the most inhuman conditions.{{more}}

The traffic was an aberration in the process of nation building and was made possible because the intruders appeared in Africa at a vulnerable period in its history when nation building had led to wars among conflicting groups. European Countries had already gone through this period of nation building and many wars had been fought some lasting for as long as one hundred years. At the time of the slave trade, European borders were relatively secure and they were engaged in economic pursuits which took them to other parts of the world where they rivaled for trade in goods for consumption in Europe.

The Trans-Atlantic slave trade was the worst economic device that was conceived by the mind of man. It brought out some of the worst and the basest vices in human beings who became captors of other human beings. Slaves were battened down as cargoes below deck and in every part of the ship that could accommodate them. The human cargo endured tremendous physical pain and suffering being chained for most of the journey. Millions of captives perished during the crossing which was known as the Middle Passage.

The slave trade and slavery enriched the coffers of Britain. The West Indian colonies became prized possessions worthy of defending. Seaports such as Liverpool, Bristol and London became thriving cities. Sugar produced from the sweat and tears of African slaves was king. West Indian plantation owners became prominent and had tremendous influence in society as well as parliament. The West Indian Lobby of plantation owners and their supporters was perhaps the most influential single group at that time.

There came a time when the economic system based on sugar and slavery began to lose its lustre. Many historians cited the impact of the contribution of philanthropists in England as the decisive factor in bringing down a system that was morally wrong. From its very inception slavery was morally wrong but the economic gains surpassed all other considerations. According to Eric Williams in “Capitalism and Slavery” it was the economic factors more than any other factor that led to the destruction of the slave trade and slavery. More so slave resistance was eroding the system and costing the British Government. Further, the once thriving seaports were switching to cotton and they were being over shadowed by other cities where the Industrial revolution was succeeding. Consequently the West Indian Lobby lost its clout. England was no longer interested in supporting a decaying system. On 25th March 1807 the slave trade was abolished and in 1834 slavery was abolished giving way to a system of apprenticeship that was disbanded in 1838. The Planters were given a compensation of 20 million pounds for loss of property, the slaves received no compensation. If there was any moral consideration then it would have been the former slaves who would have been rewarded. After two hundred years and with the propagation of human rights today, it is time for an apology and some tangible form of reparation from the British Government because of the wrongs committed against our ancestors and for the contributions that they made to the economy of Britain. There must be some form of contrition for the senseless death of millions of Africans along the African Coast, across the Middle Passage and in the Caribbean.

Ada Johnson is a solicitor and barrister-at-law.
E-mail address is: exploringthelaw@yahoo.com