Pakistan is a paradigm example of a failed state that has undergone an extremely dangerous form of radical Islamisation.
Slavery Act
The common law of England did not recognize anyone as a slave (although in
Scotland, which does not have the common law, bondage still existed until the
late eighteenth century, when it was abolished by legislation). Slavery,
however, existed in a number of British colonies, principally in the West
Indies.
The Slavery Abolition Bill 1833 was passed by the House of Commons and by the
House of Lords.
It received the Royal Assent (which means it became law) on 29 August 1833
and came into force on 1 August 1834. On that date slavery was abolished
throughout the vast British Empire.
The Act automatically applied as new possessions (principally in Africa)
subsequently became part of the British Empire.
There were a number of exceptions.
First, its application to the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope (now the Cape
Province of the Republic of South Africa) was delayed for 4 months and its
application to the Colony of Mauritius (now the Republic of Mauritius) was
delayed for 6 months.
Secondly, section 64 excluded Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), St Helena and the
territories in the possession of The Honourable East India Company, namely in
British India, but the section was subsequently repealed. The Honourable East
India Company, in theory, administered large parts of India as an agent for the
Mogul Emperor in Delhi.
Subsequently, section 1 of 5 & 6 Vict c 101 was enacted which prohibited
certain officers of The Honourable East India Company from being involved in the
purchase of slaves, but it did not actually abolish slavery in India. It was the
provisions of the Indian Penal Code 1860 which effectively abolished slavery in
India by making the enslavement of human beings a criminal offence.
Purposes of the Act
The purposes of the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 were described in the preamble
to the Bill as:
- “the abolition of slavery throughout the British colonies”;
- “for promoting the industry of the manumitted slaves”; and
- “for compensating the persons hitherto entitled to the services of such
slaves”.
The second purpose was achieved by providing for a period of apprenticeship.
The third purpose was achieved by appropriating £20 million — a huge sum in
those days — to compensate slave owners.
