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Cover Story Black History Month


For readers to fully grasp what went on in Britain’s Parliament in June 1806, when the Resolution was introduced to abolish the African Slave Trade, and to help the great cause of today’s slavery reparation activists, it is necessary to reproduce here an abridged version of the verbatim report of the debate that convulsed the House of Commons on 10 June 1806, collated by Osei Boateng. Please sit back and be prepared to be amazed.


British MPs in their own words… ‘Different Acts of Parliament have encouraged the African Slave Trade!’


Proposing the Motion, Secretary of State Charles James Fox said: Mr Speaker … the Motion with which I shall have the honour of concluding, will tend, in its consequence, to effectuate the total abolition of the African Slave Trade; and I do confess, that since I have sat in this House, a period of between 30 and 40


years, if I had done nothing else but had only been instrumental in carrying through this measure, I should think my life well spent, and should retire satisfied that I had not lived in vain. I shall commence with observing what indeed gives me pleasure,


that whatever difference may have arisen, in the course of debates in this or the other House of Parliament, as to the mode of abolish- ing the African Slave Trade or the time when that object is to be


34 | October 2011 | New African


effected with respect to the Slave Trade itself, the opinion which either House have almost unanimously entertained of it has been “that it is contrary to justice, to humanity, and to sound policy”. Tis was the sentiment expressed by a Resolution of this House


in 1792, and which will be found to have been the uniform opinion of this House with something very near unanimity. Sir, I will not consume many minutes in arguing respecting the


principle of the Slave Trade; in showing the injustice, the inhu- manity, the hateful cruelty, of carrying defenceless human beings from their native land, in order to sell them, like a herd of cattle. “To deal and traffick in human flesh and blood” – as was well


expressed by an Honourable Gentleman [Mr Burke] whose splendid abilities mankind will long remember – “to deal and traffick” as he said, “not in the labour of men, but in men themselves, was to devour the root, instead of enjoying the fruit of human diligence.” But it is argued you do not make these Negro slaves, you find


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