The 1778 case of Knight v Wedderburn is a significant turning point in the history of slavery and the fight for freedom in Scotland. Joseph Knight, an enslaved man from Guinea, challenged his master, John Wedderburn, in a series of court battles that would ultimately lead to the abolition of personal slavery in Scotland. Early …
Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, also known as James Albert, is said to be the first published black author in Britain. His autobiography, A Narrative of the Most Remarkable Particulars in the Life of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, An African Prince, as Related to Himself, was the first slave narrative published in England. Gronniosaw was born in Bornu (now …
Here are seven Caribbean and American women who were abolitionists, revolutionaries and activists. These women fought to free their people from the chains of slavery, discrimination and the lasting effects of slavery. Some took up arms, some used strategy and some used the pen. The women discussed in this video are: Sojourner Truth Sojourner Truth …
Flore Bois Gaillard was a St Lucian runaway slave who led a band of free slaves called ‘Armée Française Dans Les Bois (French Army in the Woods). The life of Flore Bois Gaillard Flore Bois Gaillard was an enslaved biracial woman owned by a man known as Master Bellac. For several years she worked on …
Olaudah Equiano (c.1745-1797) was an eighteenth-century African writer whose experiences as a slave prompted him to become involved in the British abolition movement. Early years Equiano was born in c1745 in what is now Nigeria to an Ibo chief. He was captured by slave traders and sold into slavery at the age of 11. He …
The Somerset v Stewart case, also known as Sommersett v Steuart, Somersett’s case, and the Mansfield Judgment, was a pivotal legal case in the history of slavery and abolition. Decided in 1772 by the English Court of King’s Bench, the ruling established that slavery was unsupported by English common law and that an enslaved person …
The abolition of slavery in Britain marked a significant turning point in history, leading to the end of a brutal and inhumane practice that had persisted for centuries. Origins of abolitionism in the United Kingdom The movement to end slavery in the United Kingdom began in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as part …
Harriet Tubman escaped slavery to become a leading abolitionist. She led hundreds of enslaved people to freedom along the route of the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman was born in Dorchester County, Maryland, in 1822 to enslaved parents Harriet “Rit” Green, who was owned by Mary Pattison Brodess and Ben Ross, who was owned by Anthony …
Ida B Wells was born into slavery on July 16, 1862, in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Her father, James, was a carpenter, and her mother, Elizabeth, was a famous cook. Both parents were literate and taught Ida how to read at a young age. She was surrounded by political activists and grew up with a sense …
Ottobah Cugoano, also known as John Stuart, was an African abolitionist who played a prominent role in the fight against slavery in England during the latter half of the 18th century. Born in present-day Ghana around 1757, Cugoano was kidnapped by slave traders at the age of 13 and later shipped to Grenada. In 1772, …
Thomas Jennings (1791-1859) Thomas Jennings was born free in New York City in 1791. In his early 20s, he became a tailor but then opened a dry cleaning business in New York. Thomas went on to patent a process for cleaning clothing. He was the first black man to receive a patent. The patent was awarded on …
