Impact of Empire - The Social and Political Impact Flashcards
Who benefited from slavery and empire?
People across all social classes in Britain benefited from the system, not just rich financiers
What were the economic impacts of the empire on Britain?
The empire brought new commodities from Asia and the Americas to Britain, creating employment opportunities as plantations and EIC bases expanded.
What role did British workshops play in the expansion of the empire?
British workshops received increasing orders as plantations in the Americas and EIC bases in India expanded.
What materials were used in the production of tools for plantations?
Tools used on the plantations were made in Britain, using copper, brass, and bronze items from Wales, the Midlands, and the north-west.
How were British workers directly involved in the violence of empire and enslavement?
British workers in Birmingham produced guns used by the navy and traded on the West African coast, while Wolverhampton and towns in the Black Country made the chains used on enslaved people.
What goods were exported across the Atlantic from Britain?
Clothing, furniture, glassware, beer, spirits, textiles, ropes, candles, books, pots, and more were exported, providing jobs for various craftsmen and merchants.
How did British exports support plantation workers in North America?
Somerset fishermen sold dried and salted herring and cod as food for enslaved plantation workers in North America.
What professions benefited from business organization for the eastern trade and western enslavement system?
Clerks, accountants, administrators, lawyers, clergymen, doctors, and managers found opportunities in banking, insurance, trading, and colonial administration.
What was the demand for in shipbuilding?
The demand for timber, sail cloth, and other materials in shipbuilding created employment opportunities across Britain.
What were the three main slave ports in Britain?
Bristol, Liverpool, and London were the main slave ports in Britain.
What was the significance of these ports?
These ports served as bases for slave ships and became extremely wealthy as a result of the transatlantic slave trade.
What evidence of the slave trade can still be found in these ports?
Even today, evidence of the slave trade can still be found in these ports from the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.
What geographical advantage did Bristol have for the slave trade?
Bristol’s natural harbor and proximity to the Atlantic made it a major center for ships sailing to West Africa and returning from the Caribbean loaded with sugar.
What were some of the economic activities associated with the slave trade in Bristol?
Bristol had many “sugar houses” where sugar was refined, made into “sugar loaves,” and stored before being distributed to shops.
What significant buildings were constructed in Bristol during the peak of the slave trade?
Between 1700 and 1718, houses in Queen Square were built for some of Bristol’s wealthiest slave traders, many of whom were closely involved with banking and insurance companies located in nearby Corn Street.
What was Liverpool’s status by the end of the eighteenth century?
Liverpool had become the world’s leading slave port by the end of the eighteenth century.
What was the significance of the port of Liverpool in the slave trade?
The port of Liverpool was crucial for shipping, serving as a hub for trade between Britain, West Africa, the Caribbean, and North America.
How did prominent slave traders contribute to Liverpool’s development?
Many streets in Liverpool are named after prominent slave traders who financed ships transporting enslaved individuals, engaged in slave-produced commodities like tobacco, and invested in slave-trading ships.
Who was Sir Thomas Johnson, and what were his contributions to Liverpool?
Sir Thomas Johnson, sometimes called ‘the father of Liverpool,’ was the city’s mayor in 1695. He financed ships transporting enslaved individuals to sugar plantations, was involved in slave-produced tobacco, and was responsible for building the world’s first commercial wet dock in Liverpool in 1715.
What is the significance of the Blue Coat Hospital in Liverpool’s history?
The Blue Coat Hospital, now an Arts Centre, was founded in 1708 as a charity providing education for very poor children. It was funded by Bryan Blundell, a merchant and sea captain involved in transporting enslaved individuals and investing in slave-trading ships.
How did funds from the slave trade contribute to the construction of the Blue Coat Hospital?
Money earned from the slave trade, including investments in slave-trading ships, contributed to the construction of the Blue Coat Hospital in Liverpool between 1717 and 1725.
What was London’s role in the slave trade during most of the period?
London served as the main slave port for most of the period
How did London’s major institutions benefit from the slave trade?
Many of London’s major institutions initially accumulated wealth from the slave trade. For example, the royal family profited from the Royal African Company monopoly, and funds from the transportation and sale of Africans helped finance the sumptuous state apartments in Windsor Castle.
How did wealth from the slave trade contribute to the establishment of prominent public bodies?
Wealth generated from the slave trade played a significant role in the establishment of well-known public bodies. For instance, Sir Hans Sloane, founder of the British Museum, married into a wealthy Jamaican slave-owning family, while Thomas Guy, founder of Guy’s Hospital, made himself extremely rich through shares in the South Sea Company, which had ties to the slave trade.
What was the significance of Sir Hans Sloane and Thomas Guy in London’s history?
Sir Hans Sloane, founder of the British Museum, and Thomas Guy, founder of Guy’s Hospital, were both philanthropists who gave large sums for the benefit of others, but their wealth originated from the labor of enslaved Africans on Caribbean plantations.
Besides Bristol, Liverpool, and London, which other ports were involved in the slave trade?
Smaller ports like Whitehaven, Lancaster, Topsham near Exeter, and Dartmouth also sent out slave ships.
What happened after the end of the Royal African Company monopoly in 1698?
After the end of the Royal African Company monopoly, individuals like Isaac Milner from Whitehaven sent out slaving ships from London and Whitehaven, and nearby Lancaster later became a key slaving port.
What rebellion occurred on a slaving ship in 1699, and where did it come from?
In 1699, enslaved Africans rebelled on a ship called the Dragon, which had come from Topsham near Exeter.
How were enslavement, conquest, trade, and the living conditions of the British interconnected?
Enslavement, conquest, trade, and the living conditions of the British were closely linked. As British people gained more spending power, they could purchase goods like sugar, tobacco, tea, and spices, deepening the system’s entrenchment and dependence on plantations and the India trade.
How did the slave trade affect British society as a whole?
Although only a relatively few people were making huge amounts of money from the slave trade, everyone was affected, involved, and profited to some extent.
How did coffee houses impact British social and political life?
Coffee houses, where people engaged in heated debates, business deals, and discussions of political issues, transformed social and political life in late seventeenth-century Britain.
What was the significance of coffee in British social and political circles?
Coffee, brought from Arabia by merchant ships of the East India Company, became a catalyst for socializing, conducting business, and exchanging ideas in coffee houses, akin to the social media of the time.
How did coffee houses contribute to political discourse?
Many key political issues of the time, such as the war in Ireland, union with Scotland, the Royal African Company monopoly, or investigations into East India Company corruption, were intensely discussed in coffee houses, compelling politicians to respond and justify themselves.
How prevalent were coffee houses in London during the period?
London had more coffee houses than any other city in the world except Istanbul. In 1734, a street survey counted 551 licensed coffee houses, with many more unlicensed ones.
What important institutions originated in coffee houses?
The Bank of England and Lloyd’s Insurance Company began at Edward Lloyd’s coffee house on Tower Street, and the London Stock Exchange started as a list of commodity prices at Jonathan’s in Exchange Alley. Additionally, Sotheby’s and Christie’s auction houses both originated in coffee houses.
What notable figures frequented coffee houses?
Great scientists like Isaac Newton and Edmond Halley were regulars at the Grecian on the Strand, showcasing the intellectual atmosphere of coffee houses.
