Tony Blair has expressed 'deep sorrow' for Britain's role in the slave trade ahead of the 200th Anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in Britain.
Click on a thumbnail for preview and caption information
NOTE: Picture
quality on the Internet varies greatly. Different monitor settings
and browser software may display photos too dark or too light,
or with a colour cast. You may need to adjust the brightness & contrast
of your monitor.
![French revolution of 1789. The Convention decree the equality of the rights for the "Negro" and the abolition of the slave trade. February 4, 1794. FA-12892](images/thumbs/RV5343-13.jpg "French revolution of 1789. The Convention decree the equality of the rights for the "Negro\" and the abolition of the slave trade. February 4, 1794. FA-12892")
![American family and its black slaves, in the middle of XIXth century. Illustration for "Uncle Tom's Cabin", of Harriet Beecher-Stowe, American novelist (1811-1896).](images/thumbs/rv15688-8.jpg "American family and its black slaves, in the middle of XIXth century. Illustration for "Uncle Tom's Cabin\", of Harriet Beecher-Stowe, American novelist (1811-1896).")
![Curacao, N.A. - 4/02 - "Black Holocaust" quote by Martin Luther King at Kura Hulanda, a museum about African slavery.<br>©Sonda Dawes / The Image Works<br>](images/thumbs/imw0049298.jpg "Curacao, N.A. - 4/02 - "Black Holocaust\" quote by Martin Luther King at Kura Hulanda, a museum about African slavery.<br>©Sonda Dawes / The Image Works<br>")
![Wendell Phillips, American abolitionist, 1884. Frontispiece illustration of Phillips (1811-1884) from 'The Eulogy [on Wendell Phillips] by George William Curtis. (New York, 1884).](images/thumbs/hip0019694.jpg "Wendell Phillips, American abolitionist, 1884. Frontispiece illustration of Phillips (1811-1884) from 'The Eulogy [on Wendell Phillips] by George William Curtis. (New York, 1884).")
![Male female and child captives driven into slavery by Arab slave traders, c1875 The men are fastened together wit hslave forks. From "The Life and explorations of David Livingstone" c1785<br>](images/thumbs/hip0006172.jpg "Male female and child captives driven into slavery by Arab slave traders, c1875 The men are fastened together wit hslave forks. From "The Life and explorations of David Livingstone\" c1785<br>")
![John Newton<br>John Newton (July 24, 1725 – December 21, 1807) was an English clergyman and writer who wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace" after converting to Christianity and abandoning his participation in the slave trade<br>](images/thumbs/0985795.jpg "John Newton<br>John Newton (July 24, 1725 – December 21, 1807) was an English clergyman and writer who wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace\" after converting to Christianity and abandoning his participation in the slave trade<br>")
![A rendering about a slave, entitled: "The Darkey's Vanity," <br><br>Philadelphia. Late 19th century. American Museum of Photography. <br><br>SLAVERY](images/thumbs/0648869.jpg "A rendering about a slave, entitled: "The Darkey's Vanity,\" <br><br>Philadelphia. Late 19th century. American Museum of Photography. <br><br>SLAVERY")
![Soldiers during the American Civil War, with escaped slave dubbed as "contraband". Date 1863. <br><br>SLAVERY](images/thumbs/0648866.jpg "Soldiers during the American Civil War, with escaped slave dubbed as "contraband\". Date 1863. <br><br>SLAVERY")
![0310002528 Artist:Unknown. "Brass anti-slavery medal, London, c1787. Although slavery was a widely established practice in the British colonies during the 18th century, there was a growing sense of its brutality and prominent opposition to the trade emerged. In 1787, two men, Granvi" © The British Museum<br><br> Brass anti-slavery medal, London, c1787. Although slavery was a widely established practice in the British colonies during the 18th century, there was a growing sense of its brutality and prominent opposition to the trade emerged. In 1787, two men, Granville Sharp and Thomas Clarkson formed the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, supported by the Quaker movement and prominent figures such as Josiah Wedgwood. The two men came to their position against slavery from different backgrounds; Sharp from his instigation of a legal case to free Jonathan Strong, a slave who had been badly beaten by his master and Clarkson from his theological studies at Cambridge. The latter underwent a 'revelation from God' ordering him to fight the trade. After this vision, Thomas Clarkson contacted Sharp, who had already begun his campaign, and joined to form the society. Clarkson was given the role of collecting evidence on the trade from the crew of slave ships and the horrifying equipment used, including branding irons, leg shackles, handcuffs and thumb screws. This information, published in a pamphlet entitled 'A summary view of the Slave Trade and of the probable consequences of its abolition', aimed to sway public opinion. This medal aimed to spread the same message, to grow support for the anti-slavery movement by spreading its ideals. The figure of a kneeling, chained slave and the title 'am I not a man and a brother', is followed on the reverse with the legend 'whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them'. Although not explicitly connected to the society with their name, the Christian message on the medal reflected their conviction that all men were equal; however, slavery persisted in British protectorates until 1833. MAXIMUM CURRENT FILE SIZE AVAILABLE ON THIS IMAGE: 37 MBYTES Brass anti-slavery medal, London, c1787.](images/thumbs/0505578.jpg "0310002528 Artist:Unknown. "Brass anti-slavery medal, London, c1787. Although slavery was a widely established practice in the British colonies during the 18th century, there was a growing sense of its brutality and prominent opposition to the trade emerged. In 1787, two men, Granvi\" © The British Museum<br><br> Brass anti-slavery medal, London, c1787. Although slavery was a widely established practice in the British colonies during the 18th century, there was a growing sense of its brutality and prominent opposition to the trade emerged. In 1787, two men, Granville Sharp and Thomas Clarkson formed the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, supported by the Quaker movement and prominent figures such as Josiah Wedgwood. The two men came to their position against slavery from different backgrounds; Sharp from his instigation of a legal case to free Jonathan Strong, a slave who had been badly beaten by his master and Clarkson from his theological studies at Cambridge. The latter underwent a 'revelation from God' ordering him to fight the trade. After this vision, Thomas Clarkson contacted Sharp, who had already begun his campaign, and joined to form the society. Clarkson was given the role of collecting evidence on the trade from the crew of slave ships and the horrifying equipment used, including branding irons, leg shackles, handcuffs and thumb screws. This information, published in a pamphlet entitled 'A summary view of the Slave Trade and of the probable consequences of its abolition', aimed to sway public opinion. This medal aimed to spread the same message, to grow support for the anti-slavery movement by spreading its ideals. The figure of a kneeling, chained slave and the title 'am I not a man and a brother', is followed on the reverse with the legend 'whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them'. Although not explicitly connected to the society with their name, the Christian message on the medal reflected their conviction that all men were equal; however, slavery persisted in British protectorates until 1833. MAXIMUM CURRENT FILE SIZE AVAILABLE ON THIS IMAGE: 37 MBYTES Brass anti-slavery medal, London, c1787.")
!['A Rebel Negro armed and on his guard', 1806. Dressed in a loincloth the rebel carries an axe, pouch and rifle. On the ground next to him are bones and a human skull and in the background are two other armed rebels running through the landscape. From "Narrative of a Five Years Expedition against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam...", an indictment of slavery by John Gabriel Stedman. (London 1806) 'A Rebel Negro armed and on his guard', 1806. <br>Credit: The British Library / HIP / TopFoto](images/thumbs/0488457.jpg "'A Rebel Negro armed and on his guard', 1806. Dressed in a loincloth the rebel carries an axe, pouch and rifle. On the ground next to him are bones and a human skull and in the background are two other armed rebels running through the landscape. From "Narrative of a Five Years Expedition against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam...\", an indictment of slavery by John Gabriel Stedman. (London 1806) 'A Rebel Negro armed and on his guard', 1806. <br>Credit: The British Library / HIP / TopFoto")
!['A Surinam Planter in his Morning Dress', 1806. The planter is attired in his dressing gown, broad brimmed hat and yellow shoes. Smoking a long pipe, he is waited upon by a bare-chested female slave. From "Narrative of a Five Years Expedition against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam...", an indictment of slavery by John Gabriel Stedman. (London 1806) <br>Credit: The British Library / HIP / TopFoto](images/thumbs/0488456.jpg "'A Surinam Planter in his Morning Dress', 1806. The planter is attired in his dressing gown, broad brimmed hat and yellow shoes. Smoking a long pipe, he is waited upon by a bare-chested female slave. From "Narrative of a Five Years Expedition against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam...\", an indictment of slavery by John Gabriel Stedman. (London 1806) <br>Credit: The British Library / HIP / TopFoto")
!['A Negro hung alive by the Ribs to a Gallows', 1806. The slave is hung from a hook through his side. In the background are skulls perched on top of poles and further off a ship sailing at sea. From "Narrative of a Five Years Expedition against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam...", an indictment of slavery by John Gabriel Stedman. (London 1806) 'A Negro hung alive by the Ribs to a Gallows', 1806. <br>Credit: The British Library / HIP / TopFoto](images/thumbs/0488454.jpg "'A Negro hung alive by the Ribs to a Gallows', 1806. The slave is hung from a hook through his side. In the background are skulls perched on top of poles and further off a ship sailing at sea. From "Narrative of a Five Years Expedition against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam...\", an indictment of slavery by John Gabriel Stedman. (London 1806) 'A Negro hung alive by the Ribs to a Gallows', 1806. <br>Credit: The British Library / HIP / TopFoto")
!['The Execution of Breaking on the Rack', 1800. An African slave lies on the ground tied by his arms and legs to a wooden frame or rack, one of his hands cut off by an axe which lies on the ground nearby. Meanwhile another slave beats him with a long stick with a forked tip. In the distance the figure of a hanged man can be seen. From "Narrative of a Five Years Expedition against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam", by John Gabriel Stedman. (London 1806) 'The Execution of Breaking on the Rack', c1800. <br>Credit: The British Library / HIP / TopFoto](images/thumbs/0488453.jpg "'The Execution of Breaking on the Rack', 1800. An African slave lies on the ground tied by his arms and legs to a wooden frame or rack, one of his hands cut off by an axe which lies on the ground nearby. Meanwhile another slave beats him with a long stick with a forked tip. In the distance the figure of a hanged man can be seen. From "Narrative of a Five Years Expedition against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam\", by John Gabriel Stedman. (London 1806) 'The Execution of Breaking on the Rack', c1800. <br>Credit: The British Library / HIP / TopFoto")
![0210000152 Artist:Daniel Orme. "'Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African'. 1789. Plate LVIII from ""The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African...Second edition"" printed and sold for the author by T Wilkins. (London, 1789)." © The British Library<br>](images/thumbs/0486793.jpg "0210000152 Artist:Daniel Orme. \"'Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African'. 1789. Plate LVIII from \""The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African...Second edition\"\" printed and sold for the author by T Wilkins. (London, 1789).\" © The British Library<br>")
