Abolitionist:
18th century abolitionists campaigned for the end of the slave trade. Later generations argued for an end to slavery entirely.
Amelioration:
The idea that enslavers should improve the circumstances of the enslaved, without lifting the condition of slavery from them.
Atlantic slave trade:
There have been slave trades throughout history and in different parts of the world. The Atlantic slave trade refers to the capture and movement of enslaved people from West and West-Central Africa to North America, South America and the Caribbean.
Apprenticeship:
After slavery ended, formerly enslaved people were made to carry out unpaid work as so-called apprentices. The apprenticeship system caused resentment and it ended earlier than planned in 1838.
Attorney:
Attorneys were not necessarily lawyers. They were people who ran plantations on behalf of owners who lived elsewhere. Becoming an attorney in the Caribbean was a route taken by many Scots.
Compensation:
After the abolition of slavery in 1834, enslavers were allowed to claim money from the government to reflect their lost 'property'. The expenditure on compensation was around twenty million pounds.
Emancipation:
The formal end of slavery in Britain's Caribbean colonies (along with its territory in present-day South Africa and Mauritius). Emancipation happened in August 1834.
Enslaved person:
This term has replaced 'slaves' as the descriptor for people enslaved in the Americas. It reflects the humanity of the enslaved. They were not objects or property, but people with lives of their own.
Enslaver:
Enslaver is an alternative label to other terms like 'planter' or 'master' — terms used by enslavers themselves.
Fugitive:
An enslaved person who asserted their freedom by leaving their enslaver.
Manumission:
The process of lifting the condition of slavery from an enslaved person. An enslaver was able to choose to manumit an enslaved person, or the enslaved person could purchase their freedom by paying a fee.
Middle Passage:
The Atlantic slave trade was organised around a three-legged journey. Ships would sail from Europe to the coast of Africa. Once they had enslaved people aboard their vessels, they crossed the Atlantic from Africa to the Americas — this portion of the journey was known as the 'Middle Passage'. On the final leg, these vessels took goods like sugar back to Europe.
Plantation:
Sites of agricultural production based on the forced labour of enslaved people. Produce grown by the enslaved on plantations included sugar, cotton and tobacco.