The abolition of the slave trade


Two hundred years ago, a very important event happened in London. After a long campaign, the British parliament made the slave trade illegal. We hear from the politician and historian William Hague, and use some useful vocabulary relating to people's reasons for doing something.

Listen
	The abolition of the slave trade

Vocabulary from the programme

a slave
someone who is owned by someone and has no freedom
e.g. Slaves were usually taken from West Africa to the Americas

To abolish
to stop something by law
e.g. The British Government abolished the slave trade in 1807

abolition
noun form of 'to abolish'
e.g. Some people lost their jobs after the abolition of foxhunting

self-interest
a reason for doing something which doesn't take into consideration other people's needs and desires, only your own
e.g. He donated the money because he knew it would make him look good - he just did it out of self-interest

altruistic
an adjective describing something which you do just for the benefit of other people, disregarding your own needs and desires
e.g. She left before we could thank her or find out her name - it was a completely altruistic action!'

altruism
a noun form of 'altruistic', meaning the concept of doing things without personal gain
e.g. I don't believe altruism really exists - people always do things for personal gain

philanthropy
a noun meaning concern for other people's health and wellbeing, especially when this involves doing things to help them
e.g. Our church has always been known for its philanthropy

---

Extras
Programme script (pdf - 21 k)
Download this programme (mp3 - 1.7 mb)

Some Links
A words in the news story about the abolition of the slave trade
The BBC site about abolition
About the campaign for abolition
About slavery today