First, the process of slavery in the world's major slave trading countries
1.uk
Britain was the first big country in the world to ban the slave trade. 1787, the British Abolition of the African Slave Trade Association, also known as the London Association, was founded under the leadership of grenville Sharp, a famous British social activist who had been engaged in the abolitionist movement for many years. Since then, the abolitionist movement has been organized and systematized. 1806, the British parliament passed a decree prohibiting British slave traders from transporting slaves to foreign colonies and American countries. It is also forbidden to send foreign slave ship from British ports. 10 and 14 in June, the two houses of parliament respectively passed decrees abolishing the African slave trade. The decree announced: "His Majesty the King of England has decided that from May 1807 onwards, the African slave trade, the sale, exchange and transportation of slaves and those who intend to sell, transport or use them as slaves are absolutely prohibited from entering or leaving Africa." In this way, Britain banned the slave trade.
2. America
From 65438 to the 1980s, the United States established various groups against slavery and the slave trade. 1807, the US Congress passed a bill to ban slavery from 1808 1.
The act of importing American territory. However, after the promulgation of the American law prohibiting the slave trade, it has never been seriously implemented. At the same time, due to the huge slave market in the south, slave smuggling trade is rampant. 18 16, American president Madison said that although it is forbidden to bring slaves into the United States, slave traders still "buy and sell slaves through peripheral ports, and then secretly bring slaves into the United States through seaports and border areas." The real prohibition of the slave trade was after Lincoln released The Emancipation Proclamation in 1862.
3. France
1788, under the leadership of Marquis Condorcet, France established the abolitionist group "Friends of the Black", in which robespierre, Galeries Lafayette and others participated. 1794 On February 4th, the jacobin Party, which gained political power, announced that it would ban the slave trade and free slaves in all French colonies. However, the decree was of little practical significance because most French West Indian colonies were occupied by Britain at that time. 1802, after Britain returned the colony to France according to the Treaty of Amiens, Napoleon resumed the slave trade and slavery in the French colony. During the Hundred Days Dynasty, Napoleon abolished the slave trade in order to win public opinion. After Napoleon's complete failure, France and Britain signed an agreement at the same time as the Paris Peace Treaty. According to this agreement, Britain agreed to allow France to continue exporting slaves from Africa for five years until 18 19. France, on the other hand, promised to support the proposal put forward by Britain at the Vienna Conference to ban the slave trade. On June 30th, 183 1, 165438+ Louis-Philippe signed another treaty with Britain: French nationals were prohibited from engaging in the slave trade and directly or indirectly participating in it. However, in 1843, the French government vetoed the treaty banning the slave trade signed in 183 1. After 1843, France openly resumed the slave trade in the name of "free labor migration" until 186 1.
4. Other countries
After Britain and the United States, some countries banned the slave trade. Denmark abolished the slave trade in its territory as early as 1803. 18 13 Trafficking in Africans is prohibited in Sweden. 18 14 The Netherlands banned the slave trade. 18 15 In June, Portugal banned its subjects from engaging in the slave trade in Africa north of the equator. 1842 In June, Portugal agreed to ban the slave trade south of the equator. In the area south of the equator, Portugal has the right to inspect and detain ships equipped for trafficking in black slaves. 18 17, Spain banned its subjects from engaging in the slave trade in Africa north of the equator. 1835, Spain was forced to agree to ban the slave trade south of the equator under the pressure of Britain. 1837, Mexico also abolished slavery. 1839, Uruguay and Chile signed a treaty on the inspection right of suspicious vessels in the slave trade, and the Republic of Haiti also banned the slave trade.
Although western countries have announced the prohibition of the slave trade, the slave trade has long been banned, and the slave smuggling trade has lasted for nearly a century. The reasons are very complicated, mainly as follows: First, the slave trade still has room for survival in the early days of free capitalism. Although the western countries announced the prohibition of the slave trade, they did not abolish slavery at the same time, which objectively provided conditions for the continued existence of the slave trade, which was the most important reason why the slave trade was prohibited. Second, the attitudes of western countries to the prohibition of the slave trade are quite different, and it is impossible to coordinate and cooperate with each other to effectively prohibit the slave trade. Third, the prohibition of the slave trade was also resisted by the old forces represented by slave traders and plantation slave owners. The slave trade declined obviously after the 1960s of 19. The main reason is that American slavery ended after the civil war, and Cuba and Brazil abolished it one after another. The abolition of slavery in three slave-holding areas in the United States made the slave trade lose its most important survival foundation and the slave trade declined rapidly. 1889- 1890 The Brussels Conference adopted a general resolution prohibiting the slave trade, which marked the end of the slave trade in the world.
Second, the reasons for the end of the slave trade
The abolition of the slave trade is not an accidental phenomenon, it is the product of historical development, and its appearance has profound social, political and economic roots.
First, after entering the period of free capitalism, the economic development of capitalism gradually contradicted the slave trade, which made the slave trade lose its continued value. From 65438 to the 1960s, Britain took the lead in entering the industrial revolution. Industrial capital urgently needs a large number of freely hired labor and a vast foreign market. The slave labor force lacks personal freedom, which directly hinders the formation of freely hired labor force and the expansion of the market. Therefore, the industrial bourgeoisie should ban the slave trade.
Second, the black resistance shook the foundation of the slave trade and accelerated its decline. The resistance of African people ran through the whole process of the slave trade. In particular, the Haitian revolution of 179 1 pushed the slave struggle to a climax. Haiti's independence proclaimed the abolition of slavery. Encouraged by the Haitian revolution, large-scale wars of independence broke out in Latin America, pointing directly at colonialism, feudalism and plantation slavery, which shook the foundation of the black slave trade.
Third, the bourgeois enlightenment thinkers Locke, Montesquieu and Voltaire all condemned and criticized the slave trade and slavery. With people's increasing awareness of the slave trade and the evils of slavery, the voices from all walks of life demanding the abolition of slavery are constantly rising, which has had a strong impact on the slave trade.
Fourthly, Britain waged a long and thorough struggle with the slave trade, promulgated a series of laws prohibiting slave trade, launched a series of attacks on slave trading countries, forced other countries to sign more effective treaties prohibiting slave trade, and accelerated the end of slave trade. For example, in 18 15, Britain forced Portugal to sign a treaty banning the slave trade at a cost of 750,000 pounds. According to the treaty, the Portuguese were not allowed to sell slaves in Africa north of the equator. After 1823, Portugal banned the slave trade. 18 17, Britain paid Spain 400,000 pounds in compensation in exchange for Spain giving up the slave trade after 1820. At the same time, the British navy was stationed in West African waters for inspection. 1839, the British navy sailed into the East African waters, expanding the activities of slave ships from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean.
In a word, the development of capitalist economy is the fundamental reason for the decline of the slave trade, while the slave resistance, the upsurge of the abolitionist movement and the struggle between Britain and the slave trading countries directly accelerated the demise of the slave trade. Under the restriction of these factors, the abolition of the slave trade has become a historical necessity.