Rise Up

A beautifully illustrated catalogue to a major exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, exploring enslavement, rebellion, revolution and Abolitionism through art, 1750–1850.

Drawing on new research, Rise Up and the accompanying exhibition look at the period from 1750 to 1850 when Britain became the world’s first industrialised nation and one of history’s largest empires. At the same time, it played a central role in the Atlantic slave trade, trafficking more captive African people than any other European power. Millions were forcibly abducted and transported to work on British-owned plantations in the Caribbean and the Americas.

In Britain, Black and white anti-slavery groups and individuals campaigned for abolition, with Cambridge playing a leading role in the 1780s. Despite opposition, laws were gradually enacted to abolish the slave trade in 1807, and enslavement in 1833. However, other exploitative systems, including apprenticeship and indentured labour, took their place. Financial compensation was awarded to former enslavers, while the formerly enslaved received nothing.

This is the multifaceted story of the fight to end Atlantic slavery, of its aftermath and ongoing legacies. It is told through the stories of individuals and communities from across the Caribbean, Europe and the Americas, and through an interrogation of historic objects and artworks, in conversation with works by contemporary artists.

Despite the passing of almost two centuries since Britain outlawed slavery, for peoples of the global majority, the struggles for autonomy, equality and social justice continue today.