| Slavery
Trail - Liverpool's connections |
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There
were 5 main ways the city made money from slavery:
- Building
& repair of slave ships
- Slave
trading
- Slave
produced goods - cotton, sugar etc
- Production
of exportable goods - pottery etc
- Insuring
& Financing the above operations and industries.
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| Much
of the city's architecture takes its inspiration from the slave
trade. Many buildings associated with the slave trade have African
heads carved into them. |
Slavery
has existed since the most primitive of human societies. Back in
the 1st century, farmers in Africa used slaves as workers.
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Stow-a-way
Rachel Freeman describes how her great-great-granmother stowed
away on a ship from West Africa to Liverpool. |
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The
first Europeans to expand this practice and transform it into an
international and extensive trade (in terms of volume) were the
Portuguese in the 16th century.
This
was the beginning of what is called the Atlantic slave trade.
| "I
verily believe that the far greater part of wars, in Africa,
would cease, if the Europeans would cease to tempt them, by
offering goods for sale. I believe, the captives reserved for
sale are fewer than the slain" |
| JOHN
NEWTON, FORMER SLAVE CAPTAIN |
Contary to popular belief few slaving voyages made a huge profit.
An average voyage would produce a profit of 8%.
Sometimes however huge profits would be made.
"In
1780 Mathew Street slave trader William Davenport sent his ship
HAWKE out to Africa at a cost of 拢5,000.
It returned with a profit of 拢10,000" |
Liverpool
merchants fought against the abolition of slavery, and over 64 anti-abolition
petitions were submitted from Liverpool.
The Abolition of Slavery Bill was passed in 1807.
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Did
you know that?
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Bryan
Blundell, tobacco merchant, privateer and slave trader, built
Bluecoat Chambers in School Lane for the poor children of
Liverpool.
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However
much Liverpool supported the trade, slaves rarely set foot on soil
here. Contary to folklore The Goree Piazzas, on the Dock Road, NEVER
had slaves chained there. In fact, the Piazzas were built 11 years
after courts ruled that every slave became free as soon as his feet
touched English soil.
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