Slavery and the Scottish Enlightenment

How did the evil nature of slavery become enshrined in law in Great Britain? What drove the change in public perception? What were the key victories on the journey to abolition and who were the key players? What is to prevent a similar evil gaining acceptance again today?Just as Britain’s industrial development in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries was built largely on the back of slave labour, so too was the development of new ideas and values, shaped by the moral dilemmas arising from the shameful act of denying people their liberty.The story of the Scottish Enlightenment is entwined with that of slavery and the slave trade. In fifteen stories set between 1720 and 1865 in Britain, Africa, the Caribbean and America, Slavery and the Scottish Enlightenment introduces a diverse cast of characters, both white and black, whose moral viewpoints and active choices between right and wrong helped shape the world in which they lived. As the legacy of slavery continues to infect our lives, we face similar choices today – choices that will determine the ever-evolving values of our society.

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