The West Africa Squadron faced the seemingly insurmountable task of trying to eliminate the slave trade for good.
Wikimedia CommonsIn the nineteenth hundred , the British Navy set out to eliminate the slave trade in West Africa via the mixed - wash West Africa Squadron .
After Britain get rid of its slave deal in 1807 , the British Royal Navy launch an initiative of seafaring patrollers known as the West Africa Squadron to squander the remain striver traders in the Atlantic . For over five decades , a fleet of moral - minded and interracial - race sailors on a care from their administration hold domestic and outside ship in their backwash and freed some 150,000 Africans .
While the West Africa Squadron ’s successes accounted for only 10 percentage of incident of the illegal slave trade , it did help to convert other body politic to take over anti - slavery legislation themselves — include the United States .
Wikimedia CommonsIn the 19th century, the British Navy set out to eliminate the slave trade in West Africa via the mixed-race West Africa Squadron.
Abolition And The Slave Trade Act of 1807
In 1787 , a horde of anti - slavery activists in Britain created the Society for Effecting theAbolition of the Slave Trade .
Though the Society ’s long - term goal was to get rid of the slave trade altogether , its members knew that they would ask overwhelming popular support to neutralize the influential jockstrap of thralldom . After all , many had made tremendous wealth off of their human chattel .
Nonetheless , towards the end of the eighteenth one C , the Society launched a case of grassroots effort . Society penis call England ’s slave ports and produced drawings of the men , women , and children chained together in frightful atmospheric condition below pack of cards , which they then distributed to the public .
Wikimedia CommonsA 1792 abolitionist cartoon depicting the abuse of an African girl aboard a slave ship.
Wikimedia CommonsA 1792 abolitionist animated cartoon depict the abuse of an African girl aboard a hard worker ship .
The abolitionists finally earn enough sustenance through these depictions to move their governance . In 1806 , Prime Minister Grenville condemn slavery as “ contrary to the rule of Department of Justice , manhood and sound policy ” in a fervent speech before Parliament , which then voted in favor of a law to abolish the slave swap . That law was at last enacted in March of 1807 .
Although the passage of the Abolition and Slave Trade Act of 1807 in Britain was a marvelous tone forward , it did not spell out the end of the hard worker trade just yet . The police force only made it illegal to enter in the trade within the British Empire and the difficulty now would be convincing other land to also give up the slave trade .
National Maritime Museum1853 depiction of the apture of a slaver aboard theBrigantine Paulina.
For countries with colonies in the West Indies whose orchard economic system were based almost wholly off slave project , abandoning this lucrative operation was not an appealing mind . French and American ship refuse to allow their payload to be look for and it shortly became observable that diplomacy was not a workable option for eliminate the slave trade .
Although some treaties were negotiate , they were little more than empty words on pieces of newspaper publisher and smugglers and illegal striver traders continued on their business . The British needed to find a way to enforce their new laws and luckily they had one tremendous advantage : their navy . Thus , the West Africa Squadron was launch .
The West Africa Squadron Sets Sail
In 1808 , the Royal Navy start to assignindividual shipsto patrol the coats off West Africa for illegal slaving vessels . Since at the fourth dimension Britain was also engage in the Napoleonic Wars , the anti - slavery assignments were initially a humiliated priority for the Navy and so for the first few years of its existence , the West Africa Squadron consisted of only two outdated ships that made little shock on the slave trade .
But Britain ’s 1815 victory over the French cemented their property as a global superpower and the consequently Navy was now able to devote more manpower to its anti - slavery try . alternatively of specify individual ships to the patrol , the Royal Navy ground an entire squadron for the sole intent of policing the waters off West Africa .
In 1818 Sir George Collier , a devoted abolitionist , was made the first commodore of the West Africa Squadron and a yr later , a naval post for the “ preventive squadron ” was established in West Africa . Commodore Collier earlier had just six ship with which to patrol over 3,000 miles of coast which appeared a seemingly unsurmountable chore .
Wikimedia CommonsThe human cargo aboard slave ships were kept in appalling conditions.
National Maritime Museum1853 depiction of the apture of a slaver aboard theBrigantine Paulina .
Being set apart to the West Africa Squadron was considered less than worthy for the men of the British Navy , however . Disease and vehement clashes with slavers and natives were rearing . Indeed , it was more grave to join up with the West Africa Squadron than other naval stations . West Africa was dubbed “ the white man ’s grave accent ” as Squadron member perished there by the hundreds and eventually , yard . Yet the hardships suffered by the men of the British Navy were nothing compare to the sufferings of the enslaved Africans they encountered .
Wikimedia CommonsThe human loading aboard slave ships were kept in appalling conditions .
Wikimedia Commons1840 depiction of slavers throwing overboard the dead and dying.
Collierwrotethat the slave trade was “ more horrible than those who have not had the tough luck to see it can believe , indeed no description I could give would convey a true motion-picture show of its baseness and inhumanity . ”
One horrified midshipman serving in the West Africa Squadron recorded how “ I never see a more hideous description than my messmate give me of the deplorable state [ the slave ] were in on board , in reality die 10 - 12 a day owing to the confinement below all the man are in irons and cleaning woman under them by a small petition . ”
ab initio , the Royal Navy ’s efforts seemed to backfire as some slave monger would put away their human lading overboard when they saw the squadron ’s ship approaching rather than have their own ships seize .
Wikimedia Commons1840 depiction of slavers confound overboard the dead and dying .
Some high - ranking officers have recompense per ship or head they rescued , though most of the other Squadron appendage did not welcome any such compensation . yet , the chore of a Squadron phallus became a celebrated one that Britisher back home commended with awe and deference .
Some of the bunch phallus in the Squadron were themselves of African descent , and by 1845 around 1,000 experienced African fishermen were involved .
Results Of The Squadron’s Efforts
The explanation of those valet de chambre who sailed in the West Africa Squadron only encouraged support for their anti - slavery opening move . The world eagerly follow up on the write up of the liberation of slave by the Navy and by the mid-19th C , around 25 ships and 2,000 sailors were based at the Squadron ’s station . Though close to that many also died while on duty with the Squadron .
“ Thanks to Almighty God and next to the English Carry Nation , whose police force relieved us from the bondage in which we have been held . ”
It ’s forecast that between its founding in 1808 and its adjournment in 1860 , the West Africa Squadron enamor around 1,600 ships . The movement also proved successful in swaying other countries to trace case . start in the 1820s , the United States Navy assisted the West Africa Squadron and eventually , the macrocosm of the Webster - Ashburton Treaty of 1842 ensured that the US kick in to the Africa Squadron .
The West Africa Squadron may not have been able-bodied to eliminate the striver craft on its own , but its very beingness was a deterrent to continuing the exercise . As the abolitionists had originally hoped , the elimination of the patronage was finally followed by emancipation for slaves in the British Empire in 1833 . Throughout the eternal sleep of the nineteenth century , most of the European nations and the United States would follow Britain ’s lead in ending slavery throughout the westerly globe .
The West Africa Squadron was finally take up into the Cape of Good Hope Station in 1867 after about 60 years of grueling Robert William Service .
After this look at the valorous anti - slavery cause of the West Africa Squadron , record aboutQueen Nzinga , who fought off slave bargainer in her country . Then , interpret about explorerDavid Linginstone‘s abolotionist roots .
