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Abolition of the slave trade
‘Reflecting on the past, looking to the future’
2007 commemorated the 200th anniversary of the 1807 Abolition of the Slave Trade Act. This Act outlawed the slave trade throughout the British Empire and made it illegal for British ships to be involved in the trade, marking the beginning of the end for the transatlantic traffic in human beings.
Slavery and abolition
The transatlantic slave trade, abolition movement, time line of key events
Bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade
25 March 2007 marks 200 years to the day that a Parliamentary Bill was passed to abolish the slave trade in the then British Empire
Marking the Bicentenary
Take part in events around the country
Government support for the bicentenary
Support available to mark the bicentenary
Government funding for the bicentenary
Funding available to mark the bicentenary
Commemorative magazine
The Government has published a commemorative magazine to mark the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade
Issues for today
Tackling the legacies of the bicentenary including modern day poverty, inequality, discrimination, racism and contemporary slavery in all its forms
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