Article: On this day - in 1772.

SLAVERY was effectively abolished in England and Wales.

The ruling was made by Lord Chief Justice William Murray, Baron Mansfield, and paved the way for the total banning of slavery in Britain and the British Empire.

The decision was made while Mansfield considered the case of James Somersett, a slave brought to England in 1769. He had escaped his master but was recaptured and forced onto a ship bound for Jamaica.

With help from Granville Sharpe, an antislavery campaigner, a ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!