EDEXCEL
A LEVEL HISTORY
THE BRITISH EMPIRE
BREADTH STUDY: TRADE
, THE SEVEN YEAR WAR (1756-1763)
Seven Year War
-War between Britain and France over
colonies.
-Ended with the Treaty of Paris (Feb 10 1963).
-War showed how important the Bank of
England was for the Empire e.g. available
credit helped raise ships.
-Bank of England allowed other nations to
borrow money at high interest rates, leading to
financial downfall of France, one of the reasons
for the French Revolution (1789)
-“Behind every British victory lay national
debt”= Britain was not revolutionary, they
were evolutionary.
Treaty of Paris (Feb 10 1763)
-Officially ended the Seven Year
War.
-Britain rewarded with North
America (Canada), thus
opening North America for
Western expansion.
-Gave France back some
valuable colonies in the West
Indies.
-British victory earned England
a world wide reputation as a
world power with a strong navy,
hence using this to continue
building the empire.
, The Abolition of The Slave Trade 1807
British involvement in the slave trade begun with the voyages of
the Elizabethan seafarers in the 16th Century- This nature had not
changed much by the 18th Century.
Challenges To The Abolition
* The slave trad enriched both the slave traders and ports they sailed
from such as Bristol, Liverpool and Glasgow.
* Profit of the slave trade was reinvested in Britain, e.g. Bristol family
Pinneys owned large sums of the Caribbean island, Nevis.
* By 1790, 120-130 slave ships sailed from Liverpool on the triangualr
trade (trade between Europe, West Africa and the Car- benefitted
Government through taxes and tariffs which they used to finance the
Navy and fight wars.
* 40% of the income of Bristol’s population came from the slave trade
in the 1780s.
* Benefitted Britain through creating a large pool of skilled sailors who
could be used within the Royal Navy during manpower shortages.
* The Church of England owned plantations in Barbados with around
400 slaves.
* Gentleman’s Magazine 1766 said that ‘upward of 40’ MP’s were
either planters or had business interests in plantations- show their lack
of interest in voting for the abolition of the slave trade.
Abolition of The Slave Trade
* The Quakers led by William Wilberforce and William Pitt organised a
parliamentary campaign in 1789 for the abolition of the slave trade.
* In context of the French emancipating slaves, parliament voted
against the bill.
* After Napoleon attempted to restore slavery on the island of Saint
Domingue, the ex-slaved rebelled and the British found themselves
supporting the slaves in order to undermine the French. Through this
and public support, Wilberforce passed the slave trade bill.
* Eventually, opposition to the abolition crumbled and both Houses of
Parliament passed the Slave Trade Act in 1807, officially ending
Britain’s involvement in the slave trade.
A LEVEL HISTORY
THE BRITISH EMPIRE
BREADTH STUDY: TRADE
, THE SEVEN YEAR WAR (1756-1763)
Seven Year War
-War between Britain and France over
colonies.
-Ended with the Treaty of Paris (Feb 10 1963).
-War showed how important the Bank of
England was for the Empire e.g. available
credit helped raise ships.
-Bank of England allowed other nations to
borrow money at high interest rates, leading to
financial downfall of France, one of the reasons
for the French Revolution (1789)
-“Behind every British victory lay national
debt”= Britain was not revolutionary, they
were evolutionary.
Treaty of Paris (Feb 10 1763)
-Officially ended the Seven Year
War.
-Britain rewarded with North
America (Canada), thus
opening North America for
Western expansion.
-Gave France back some
valuable colonies in the West
Indies.
-British victory earned England
a world wide reputation as a
world power with a strong navy,
hence using this to continue
building the empire.
, The Abolition of The Slave Trade 1807
British involvement in the slave trade begun with the voyages of
the Elizabethan seafarers in the 16th Century- This nature had not
changed much by the 18th Century.
Challenges To The Abolition
* The slave trad enriched both the slave traders and ports they sailed
from such as Bristol, Liverpool and Glasgow.
* Profit of the slave trade was reinvested in Britain, e.g. Bristol family
Pinneys owned large sums of the Caribbean island, Nevis.
* By 1790, 120-130 slave ships sailed from Liverpool on the triangualr
trade (trade between Europe, West Africa and the Car- benefitted
Government through taxes and tariffs which they used to finance the
Navy and fight wars.
* 40% of the income of Bristol’s population came from the slave trade
in the 1780s.
* Benefitted Britain through creating a large pool of skilled sailors who
could be used within the Royal Navy during manpower shortages.
* The Church of England owned plantations in Barbados with around
400 slaves.
* Gentleman’s Magazine 1766 said that ‘upward of 40’ MP’s were
either planters or had business interests in plantations- show their lack
of interest in voting for the abolition of the slave trade.
Abolition of The Slave Trade
* The Quakers led by William Wilberforce and William Pitt organised a
parliamentary campaign in 1789 for the abolition of the slave trade.
* In context of the French emancipating slaves, parliament voted
against the bill.
* After Napoleon attempted to restore slavery on the island of Saint
Domingue, the ex-slaved rebelled and the British found themselves
supporting the slaves in order to undermine the French. Through this
and public support, Wilberforce passed the slave trade bill.
* Eventually, opposition to the abolition crumbled and both Houses of
Parliament passed the Slave Trade Act in 1807, officially ending
Britain’s involvement in the slave trade.
