The Political Argument for abolishing Slavery
Anti-Gladstone Election Poster, 1832 (reference: DD/NM/2/1/74)
Even though the transatlantic Slave Trade was abolished by the Act of 1807, slavery still continued into the nineteenth century, and remained a backdrop to electoral politics at this time.
Slavery was a leading issue in Newark during campaigning for the 1832 parliamentary election. One of the candidates was William Ewart Gladstone, who later became Prime Minister of England. Although Gladstone had stated he was opposed to slavery, this poster published by 'The Negroes Real Friend', put forward the view that Gladstone was not sincere in his views. It claims that Gladstone's father John, who 'is deeply interested in the continuance of Slave Property', believes 'sugar cannot be cultivated in the West Indies without slaves'.
Find out more...
- Larger version of the poster: follow this link to see the poster in more detail [PDF 555KB]
- Gladstone's reply: see how Gladstone responded to this accusation
- The 1826 Nottingham election: slavery was also a major issue at this campaign. Find out more about it here
- Further information: explore other web sites and online resources
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