Page 5 - Debates on the Slave Trade

Slavery Should Be Abolished

“Let us put an end at once to this inhuman traffi c—let us stop
this effusion of human blood.”

—British politician William Wilberforce, 1789
Quoted in Bartleby.com, “William Wilberforce, ‘On the Horrors of the Slave Trade.’” www.bartle
by.com.

Consider these questions as you read:

1. What arguments would you make if you were trying to convince a
slaveholder to alter his or her views and adopt the position that slav-
ery should be abolished?
2. Do you believe that the treatment of slaves is an important argument
for abolition? How would this argument be affected in the case of
slaves who were treated well? Explain your answers.
3. Should the threat of the nation being torn apart over slavery have
been justifi cation enough for all sides to abolish that institution? Why
or why not?

Editor’s note: The discussion that follows presents common arguments made in support of this perspective. All arguments
are supported by facts, quotes, and examples taken from various sources of the period or present day.

The abolitionist movement was born in Britain and France during
the 1700s. Since then it has steadily spread across the Atlantic
Ocean to the Americas. Its main argument—that slavery is wrong
on many levels—has rung true to increasing numbers of decent
people, including in the United States. Little by little, person by
person, and household by household, people who once accept-
ed the practice of slavery are converting to the abolitionist cause.
One of the most basic reasons why slavery should be abol-
ished is because it is utterly brutal and inhumane. The awful treat-
ment of slaves starts when they are kidnapped and forced to
march in chains overland to slave ships. Then, while crossing the

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