Abolition of the Slave trade 1807-33

The slave trade was key to British wealth through the early empirical days. However as social stereotypes improved and it became safer to express your own views the anti-slavery movement began to put pressure on the government.

Supporters of this took advantage of the new, literate emerging middle class and published pamphlets to shock them by including the inhuman conditions suffered by trafficked black African slaves. This was the way the movement gained public sympathy and awareness.

The leader of this movement was Pitt’s close friend William Wilberforce. His group the Claphamites took advantage of the new printing to launch a propaganda campaign aimed at the middle and upper classes. This movement had support early-on from characters such as Pitt, Fox, Grey, Grenville and Canning.

In 1807 the first breakthrough came with the Slavery Act 1807 which formally ended the trading in slaves however failed to help those already enslaved in the Empire.

The movement continued to press and in 1823 Wilberforce and Thomas Buxton created the Anti-Slavery Society which organised the wider campaign to outlaw slavery throughout the British colonies. In 1825 Buxton took over the campaign trying to fight for those born to slaves to be born free.

Repeal of the Combination Acts 1824

The skilled artisan classes put pressure for reform as led by Francis Place. They were experiencing a growth in trade and a fall in unemployment and Place and his supporters argued that the legalisation of Trade Unions would lead members to reject violence and work towards greater productivity and therefore the prosperity of owners and workers alike.

This led to the government repealing the Combination Acts in 1824. This short trade boom led to a rise in living costs which then led to a recession which created more hardship.

After this there was a burst of strike action and the government went back on the repeal with an Amending Act 1825 which made it illegal to ‘molest’ or ‘obstruct’ other workers.

Combination Acts 1799-1800

Through this time period artisans and workmen had begun to organise themselves into clubs for the mutual benefit of its members, whether that was insurance, higher wages, job markets or unemployment.

Trade Societies and Friendly Societies became the forerunners to the more official Trade Unions. The Friendly Societies Act 1793 gave members of these clubs the legal rights to hold meetings and have their funds protected.

However industrialisation led to the flow of workers into more concentrated areas in large cities which gave them opportunities to exchange ideas and problems. These larger populations led to improvements in efficiency and organisation.

These advancements scared the new capitalist employers who then complained to Parliament about strike threats to the ‘restraint of trade’.

This led to Parliament passing the Combination Acts of 1799 which made the combination of workers in restraint of trade (strike action) illegal thus making all associations of working men illegal.

No opposition was faced in Parliament showing the establishments support for a capitalist agenda.

William Pitt the Younger (1783-1806)c

William Pitt the Younger (PM 1783-1801 & 1804-06):

Prominent Tory statesmen who became the youngest PM in 1783 at the age of 24, prior to this he held office as Chancellor of the Exchequer. He entered as an MP in 1781 and within 3 years the king chose him as PM showing a notable rise to power. He came to power in an awkward time just after the American War for Independence meaning he had to tackle spiralling National Debt and a lack of confidence in the government. To combat the National Debt he set up a sinking fund which he paid £1 million a year from taxation which proved to be a successful peace time policy. He was also keen to introduce trade reforms as there were outdated and complex custom duties that made smuggling more attractive and Pitt thought it limited the countries economy. In response he simplified or removed the custom taxes, introducing a Book of Rates that laid out duties for each item, and lowered taxes on the most smuggled imports and enabled the authorities to confiscate smuggled goods 4 miles from shore. To make up for loss in taxation he introduced new taxes on commodities that the wealthy classes used, seen as unpopular by them but genius by others. Foreign trade failed with Ireland but was successful with France but that was short lived due to the French Revolution. His government system was in need of reform as it was confusing and inefficient, he allowed many of the hundreds of sinecure offices to lapse, devised a new budgeting system still used today, abolished the free post for MP's and reorganised the Cabinet to make the PM's office the most important.

By the end of Pitts terms his financial and commercial policies seemed to have had a revolutionary effect on growth of trade and industry. By 1793 the annual government revenue increased by £4 million from new taxes with the value of trade doubling. He succeeded in restoring national credit and public confidence and ultimately put Britain in a stronger position to face war with France.