Abolition of Slavery in the British Empire
The Slavery Abolition Act was passed, making the purchase or ownership of slaves illegal throughout the British Empire.
The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom on August 28, 1833, and came into effect on August 1, 1834. The act made the purchase or ownership of slaves illegal in most of the British Empire. It was the culmination of decades of campaigning by abolitionists including William Wilberforce, Thomas Clarkson, and formerly enslaved people like Olaudah Equiano. Approximately 800,000 enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and other British territories were freed.
More in Social Movements
Decline of the Indus Valley and the Aryan Migration
The Indus Valley Civilization declined as Indo-Aryan peoples migrated into the subcontinent from Central Asia, bringing the Vedas, Sanskrit, and a new social order that would reshape the land.
July 14, 1789French Revolution Begins
The storming of the Bastille marked the beginning of the French Revolution, fundamentally transforming French society and politics.
January 1, 1863Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring enslaved people in Confederate states to be free.
September 19, 1893Women's Suffrage in New Zealand
New Zealand became the first self-governing country to grant all women the right to vote, pioneering the global suffrage movement.