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International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

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Authored by Nathaniel Andrews
Published on 25th March, 2022 1 min read

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

A poster for the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Between the 16th and the 19th centuries, approximately 15 million people were violently removed from Africa and transported to the Americas. Those who survived the ‘middle passage’ across the Atlantic (and their successors) were subsequently enslaved and, for the most part, forced to work on tobacco, sugar, and cotton plantations, producing goods for European markets. 

The British Empire played a particularly prominent role in this trade, and slavery endured in Britain’s colonies officially until emancipation in 1834 (in fact, in practice, the institution often survived, albeit under a different name). In December 2007, the United Nations designated the 25th of March as an annual day of remembrance for the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, not only to raise awareness about these historical crimes against humanity, but also to draw attention to racism and prejudice in the world today.

 Accordingly, it is more important than ever to confront and learn from Britain’s imperial past.


Authored by Nathaniel Andrews

Nathaniel Andrews

Nathaniel Andrews is Senior Editor at British Online Archives, and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Leeds Arts and Humanities Research Institute. Between October 2018 and September 2021, he taught in the Schools of History and Languages at the University of Leeds, and between September 2021 and June 2022, he was a Lecturer in Spanish and Latin American Cultural Studies at the University of Manchester. His research centres primarily on the history of anarchism in the Hispanic World and North America, and he has several publications on the Spanish and Argentinian labour movements. He is currently working on his first monograph.


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The British Online Archives Notable Days diary is a platform intended to mark key dates and events throughout the year. The posts draw attention to historical events and figures, as well as recurring cultural traditions and international awareness days, in both religious and secular contexts.

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