Chapter 21

In chapter 21 of Bury the Chains, Hochschild discusses the irony of the ending of slavery. He talks about the relationship between France and Britain and how there was now a fight to restore slavery, not that there was the end of the Revolutionary War, ironic. Wilberforce, Clarkson, Sharp and Stephen are given compliments on being very important men in the anti-slavery movement, and they are praised for their continuing support through all of the hardships and stalls they have in getting Parliament to pass their bills. Sharp went about finding a way to end slavery in a innovative style, he looked to use the the trade and economic clauses to end slavery. He wrote War in Disguise, or, The Frauds of Neutral Flags and this touched on the wartime "prize" system which was really mostly money made off of slaves. This brought about the calling of a "bill that banned British subject, shipyards, outfitters, and insurers from participating in the slave trade to the colonies of France and its allies"(302), and a lot of argument. Tarleton, the opposition gave Stephen a run for his money, and challenged him and his bill, but surprisingly the Foreign Slave Trade Act, as it was called, passed without much challenge.