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Much of the money that was being made in this period came from trade with the colonies, particularly the slave trade. It has been estimated that three million Africans were transported across the Atlantic in the most appalling conditions. Some ended up in Britain as slaves, servants or, in some cases, their own bosses, but most were exploited and cruelly mistreated in the Americas and the Caribbean. But despite the huge profits being made from this miserable business, the campaign to abolish slavery began in England.
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This was a time when people who inherited or made money could live an opulent life in exquisite surroundings. But they lived with and among those who had nothing. Some could not ignore the inequality of their world.
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The United States won its independence in 1783, and in 1789, the French overthrew their aristocratic rulers with the promise of liberté, égalité and fraternité. These events raised the hopes and expectations of ordinary people in England. (For more on this, see
The War of Ideas and the Time Traveller's Guide to Napoleon's Empire.)
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