On 25 March 1807, the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade received royal assent in Britain, making it illegal to carry enslaved Africans in British ships, with a fine for each person found. British ships had carried some three million enslaved Africans across the Atlantic. The act was the result of a campaign by William Wilberforce in Parliament, Thomas Clarkson, Olaudah Equiano and the Quakers, with sugar boycotts and petitions of hundreds of thousands. The Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron then seized about 1,600 slave ships and freed some 150,000 Africans. The United States abolished the import of slaves in 1808.
Before and after
- from 1807 to 1814Adriatic campaign of 1807–1814
- 1807Discovery of sodium
- 1807Discovery of potassium
- 19 January 1807Birth of Robert E. Lee
- 25 March 1807Britain abolishes the slave trade
- 4 July 1807Birth of Giuseppe Garibaldi
- 7 July 1807Treaties of Tilsit
- from 16 August 1807 to 5 September 1807Battle of Copenhagen
- from 19 November 1807 to 30 November 1807Invasion of Portugal
More in Society, economy & sport
- 26 October 1863The Football Association is founded in London
- 17 May 1865Founding of International Telecommunication Union
- 19 September 1893New Zealand becomes the first country where women vote
- 1903Origins of Major League Baseball
- 30 June 1908Tunguska event
- 23 December 1913Founding of Federal Reserve System
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.