Slavery Abolition Act

The Slavery Abolition Act was an 1833 act of the British Parliament abolishing slavery throughout the British Empire.

The Main Points of the Slavery Abolition Act

1. All slaves under the age of six were to be freed immediately

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2. Slaves over the age of six were to remain as part slave and part free for a further four years. In that time they would have to be paid a wage for the work they did in the quarter of the week when they were "free"

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3. The government was to provide £20 million in compensation to the slave-owners who had lost their "property."

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With the abolishment of slavery, the planters were not as profitable and many plantations were shut down at alarming rate. The people were now free and many refused to work for the plantation owners who once held them in bondage for financial gains.

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