The never-ending end of slavery

It took almost 200 years to end slavery around the world. The path to freedom was different in each society. In all places, newly freed people did not win immediate equality with other groups.

Let’s look at a few key steps in the path toward freedom.

Abolition and the Haitian Revolution 

In 1789, France was experiencing a revolution. French citizens had risen up to end the monarchy. A monarchy is a form of government where a King or Queen is the ruler.

In 1791, there was a major revolt of enslaved people in the French Caribbean colony of Saint Domingue. Colonialism is when one country takes control over another place. The colonizer then takes advantage of its people and resources.

This revolt was successful. It led to the creation of the independent Republic of Haiti in 1804. It was the first place in the modern world where slaves ended slavery. The leaders of Western nations like Britain, France, and the United States were not happy about this. They feared that enslaved people elsewhere would follow the example of Haiti and rise up too. As a result, Haiti was cut off from international trade. This prevented its economy from developing. Haitians were forced to struggle to survive. Many lived in extreme poverty. Yes, Haitians won their freedom. However, they did not gain respect from the rest of the world. Haiti was even invaded and taken over by the United States in 1915.

Abolition with compensation in the British Caribbean

The end of slavery in Britain’s Caribbean colonies was not the result of war. It was the result of the pressure British Christians placed on their government. These Christians were both Black and white. They managed to convince the British public that ending slavery was the right thing to do. In 1833 the British Parliament passed a law abolishing slavery in Britain’s colonies. The British government paid former enslavers for the loss of their “property.” However, no such payment was considered for freed people. They were given nothing despite the years of free labor they had provided. Most had no education and no money. In most British colonies, jobs were scarce. As a result, most of the formerly enslaved still had to work on plantations. Planters paid them barely enough to survive.

The United States

The original purpose of the U.S. Civil War was not to end slavery. Yet, that was one of its results. Many enslaved people freed themselves by running away during the confusion of war.

The war was between the northern and southern states. The northern states who were against slavery were referred to as the Union. The southern states that were in favor of keeping slavery were called the Confederates.

Northern Union forces also encouraged enslaved people to run away, in order to weaken the Confederacy. Full legal freedom did not come until months after the war ended. In December 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment was added to the Constitution. It outlawed slavery throughout the United States.

After the war, the formerly enslaved still faced enormous racial hatred. During the Reconstruction period (1865–1877), the U.S. government provided some protection. For example, federal officials built schools for freed people. They helped them understand paid labor contracts. They guarded their voting rights. This help was limited. However, it was more than what was offered in other slave societies. In those places, freed people received no help whatsoever.

However, with the end of Reconstruction in 1877, things got much worse for the formerly enslaved. Local southern governments introduced a set of new laws known as “Jim Crow” laws. These laws limited Black Americans’ freedom and controlled their labor. Pay for Black workers remained very low. Many Black Americans were jailed for the smallest reasons. They were then sent to prison labor camps.

White society kept Black Americans under near constant watch. Police, bosses, and the general population all played a part in this system. Black Americans were also controlled in more violent ways. Black Americans were killed in private and in public. This created fear in the community. This made people more likely to obey the rules.

State and local governments in the American South also blocked Black Americans from voting or running for public office. As a result, they had little political power. They had no way to bring about change.

Later African abolition

Abolition also took place in other areas of the world. On the African continent, slavery became more common during the time of the Atlantic slave trade. It then expanded in the 1800s as big plantations developed. The abolition of slavery was mostly due to outside forces. European business and government leaders decided that enslaving Africans on their own soil was too difficult and expensive. They realized it would be more profitable to simply rely on low-wage workers. So, they outlawed slavery. However, it remained a common practice in many parts of Africa. Mauritania, for example, gained its independence from France in 1960. Yet it did not fully outlaw slavery until 1981. It was the last country in the world to outlaw slavery.