What difference did the transatlantic slave trade make to the lives of Black people, both beyond Britain and within it? This enquiry helps pupils explore this challenging question by connecting Britain’s involvement in the trade with the experiences of individual Black people living in Britain during the 18th century. Pupils consider how wealth generated through the exploitation of enslaved Africans contrasted with the suffering and loss of freedom on which it depended.
Having developed an understanding of how the transatlantic slave trade worked, pupils work in expert groups to investigate portraits of seven selected Black people who lived in Britain at the time. Looking closely at clothing, setting, objects and relationships within the pictures, they suggest what these sources might reveal about each person’s life, occupation and position in society. Just as importantly, they consider what a portrait cannot tell us and which questions require further evidence.
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