1833: The Year Britain Abolished Slavery

Documentary series exploring the abolition of Slavery in the British Dominions in 1833. In Episode 1 of this two-part documentary series, Luke Tomes explores the rebirth of an abolition movement in Britain with the formation of the Anti-Slavery Society in 1823, driven by the ambitious goal of ending the institution of slavery in British Dominions. Also introduced is the fierce opposition facing the abolitionists, the West India Interest, a political lobby comprised of wealthy merchants, proprietors and influential Members of Parliament – all of whom held vested interests in opposing emancipation at all costs.

Documentary series exploring the abolition of Slavery in the British Dominions in 1833. In Episode 2 of this documentary series, we see the gradual deterioration of the West India Interest, its power base weakened by political reform in the United Kingdom, a decline in the value of sugar and an inspired slave rebellion in Jamaica (1831/2) which unearthed the true nature of West Indian Colonists and demonstrated the instability of the institution. We also touch upon the agonising moral dilemma abolitionists faced on the subject of compensation; the financial remuneration planters received from the government as a form of repayment for their “lost property”.