A Moral Steam Engine and The First Emancipation

In chapter six of Adam Hochschild’s book, Bury the Chains, Thomas Clarkson learns that he is not alone fighting for the abolitionist movement. At this point in history, more people disapproved of slavery, however few people were willing to take a stand against it. Despite being uneasy about slavery, living without it seemed nearly impossible. After winning an award for his antislavery paper, Clarkson had a family friend publish the paper to attract more people to his cause. This led him to a printing press at 2 George Yard and with the help of eleven other men, the following events were unprecedented. In chapter seven of Adam Hochschild’s book, Bury the Chains, we go further back in time to learn about the first emancipation of slaves. The British gained American slaves by offering them freedom by escaping from their masters and joining the British Army. This act was not to abolish slavery, but rather to hurt American noblemen. After the war, slaves were still in the pursuit of freedom. British and American peace negotiators aimed to make changes. British commander, General Sir Guy Carleton, aimed to keep his promise to ex-slaves and evacuated them to Nova Scotia resulting in the largest group of free blacks in one place.