Why Was Slavery Abolished

Why was Slavery Finally Abolished?
   
    The slave trade was abolished in Britain in 1807. However it wasn’t until 1833 that slavery became illegal in the British Empire. There were many factors that caused Slavery to finally be abolished. The most important was the actions of the black people. However, there were other reasons linked to the final abolishment of slavery. The black people would strike for change and would compare themselves to the white maids. Black slaves in Britain began to demand to be treated like ordinary servants. Black slaves demanded higher wages, and refused to be kept as slaves. Many ran away, making it difficult for their master to retrieve them, because the British courts often ruled against the masters. Slavery was not legal in Britain as it was in the colonies.
    The abolishment of slavery brought many benefits to Britain. First, slave trade brought in imports such as sugar and coffee. This changed peoples drinking habits and helped expand the sale of coffee. Slaves picked raw materials such as cotton and sugar cane. These materials were vital to the expansion of British industries. The expansion of the British industries helped to create more jobs. This meant that more British products were being produced which could be sold abroad. Huge profits made from the slave trade funded new inventions and industries in Britain. The slave trade benefitted many people. Secondly, the ship owners who sold the slaves made huge profits (around 5000) off the industry owners who bought the slaves.
    The factory owners in Britain had access to cheap raw material for their industries and found even cheaper new materials. In 1770, 1/3 of all textiles were exported to Africa, and sold to the West Indies. Plantation owners benefited as they paid no wages to their workers. In 1780 the West Indies supplied 2/3 of the cotton imported into Britain. Ordinary people were able to buy products, and materials produced by slaves. Hand picked cotton,...