ShmoopTube

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People in the past weren't, uh…all idiots.

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Eventually, people started to come to the realization that owning other folks was a

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teensy bit wrong. [Man with flashing bulb above head beside family]

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Haters of slavery were a moral minority until about 1770.

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It took a really long time for European and American societies to give up the power and

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profits of slavery.

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It's hard to see human misery for what it is when your eyes glaze over at the sight [Coins falling]

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of shiny coins.

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It can also be hard to work in a laundromat for that same reason... [Woman using coin in a laundromat]

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Anyway, there was a change a comin’.

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The Industrial Revolution swept through Europe and the Americas from about 1770 to about

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1850.

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This Revolution was a huge shift from making slaves do the work to making machines do the [Man appears at a factory]

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work.

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When the machines finally rebel we’ll have another situation on our hands. [Transformer fires laser into city]

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But that’s a problem for a later day...

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During the Industrial Revolution, society was shifting socially, economically, and politically

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away from slave-labor-supported aristocrats.

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Instead, we were headed towards wage labor, mass consumption, industrial growth, and free

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trade.

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There’re a few problems with all that too, but…one thing at a time. [Ronald McDonald appears outside McDonalds store]

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This sea change, combined with brand spankin' new ideas about human rights, caused some

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serious growth spurts in the whole anti-slavery scene. [Boy grows and hits head on roof]

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The abolitionist movement started gaining followers and spreading like the plague.

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But not a bad plague.

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Like… a happy freedom plague. [People join hands and rainbow forms]

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Most abolitionist movements had support from many different types of people.

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Some abolitionists were intellectuals of African descent.

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Some were pro-free-trade reformers. [Abolitionist people stood together]

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Some were religious people who decided that God wasn’t down with slavery.

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Some were even racists who… just didn't want African people around.

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Whatever their reasons, the abolitionists made a massive difference.

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And there’s no doubt that abolitionism and industrialization went hand in hand. [Abolitionism man and industrialization man hold hands]

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The most industrialized major power, Britain, was the first to totally abolish the slave

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trade within their empire.

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Due to iffy interpretations of what was and wasn't their empire… the British ended up [Military man stood outside building]

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attacking slave traders and slave forts all across the coast of West Africa.

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Maybe iffy imperial interpretations are okay if you’re taking down slavery…

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The slave trade in most other areas kept right on chugging along for a few more years. [Train rides by]

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The US did ban slave imports from Africa in 1806.

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This was a pretty empty gesture, though, since the US still allowed slave imports from the [Slaves imported from caribbean to US]

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Caribbean.

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Many Caribbean countries either still allowed or did a sub-par job of restricting slave

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imports from Africa.

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So the US still had a pipeline for African slaves.

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Banning African slave imports was like saying…

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“I’m not going to steal your car.

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I’m going to pay this other guy to steal it.” [Man hands over cash to guy]

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Of course, slavery ended up causing the US a heap of trouble by helping to spark a Civil

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War that killed more Americans than any other war in history.

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After that big heap of awful was over, slavery was finally, officially made illegal in all [Soldier laid in the ground]

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of the US in 1865.

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Yep, that was pretty late.

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But it’s better to show up to a party late than not at all.

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Unless the party is lame. [Boy dancing at a party alone]

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In that case you should say you’re sick and hope you don’t get outed on Facebook…

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