Black People in England, 1660-1807

The Legacies of 2007: Remapping the Black Presence in Britain

“…James focused on resistance to the trade and enslavement by Africans that occurred before and during capture, on the coasts of Africa, on ships (where we now know that around 10% of ships crossing the Atlantic faced a rebellion) and on plantations themselves (Behrendt et al 2001). Africans were also an essential part of the abolition campaign in Britain, through narratives of their own experiences, including publications by Quobna Ottobah Cugoano (Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil of Slavery, London, 1787) and Olaudah Equiano (The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa the African, London, 1789), and through their presence in the courts challenging English and Scottish law, or living and surviving among the working class (Chater 2007;Hochschild 2005;Robertson 2007).…”

“…2001). Africans were also an essential part of the abolition campaign in Britain, through narratives of their own experiences, including publications by Quobna Ottobah Cugoano ( Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil of Slavery , London, 1787) and Olaudah Equiano ( The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa the African , London, 1789), and through their presence in the courts challenging English and Scottish law, or living and surviving among the working class (Chater 2007; Hochschild 2005; Robertson 2007).…”

Review of periodical literature published in 2007

“…Chater, meanwhile, examines wills, diaries, letters, newspapers, and coroners' inquests to examine the position of black people in England before the Abolition Act, while Bressey charts their fortunes in the wake of the Act. The murder of approximately 130 slaves on board the slave ship the Zong in 1781 receives special attention.…”