Wilberforce Institute Our story Business services Our work Our people PhD community Our publications News and events Contact us More Back Completed projects Remembering 1807 Get in touch Got a question or want to collaborate? Contact us The Challenge Capturing the events that marked 200 years since the abolition of slavery. 2007 marked the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire. The UK held an explosion of events in commemoration. Prior to 2007, there had been little in terms of meaningful public discussion on slavery issues, making 2007 an important point of time antislavery history. However, little or no attempt had been made to record this momentous year of activity. Posing the questions – what events are effective and where is public money best spent to deliver public awareness and impact around slavery issues? As we approach further significant anniversaries and as a worldwide antislavery movement steadily gathers momentum, it is becoming increasingly important to understand what is, and is not, effective in highlighting contemporary slavery. Remembering 1807 has unearthed over 300 projects connected with the bicentennial of the Slave Trade Abolition Act. The Approach Lead researchers Project funded by Researchers uncovered over 300 events held across the country to commemorate 1807. Initiatives ranged from large capital projects to small community-led events such as heritage trails, exhibitions, books and live performances. Many of these had left little or no trace, hence the urgency of the project. Digitally capturing all 300 events, the team created the first comprehensive collection of the year’s antislavery tributes. The archive is one part of our major overarching project Antislavery Usable Past, which uncovers lessons from the past to influence modern slavery campaigns and policy-making. The Impact Get in touch Got a question or want to collaborate? Contact us Other completed research projects View all projects Completed project Antislavery Usable Past Using lessons learned from previous abolition movements to bolster the present-day fight against slavery. Completed project Redrawing Slavery Redrawing slavery: debt, law, and the market in the process of enslavement. Completed project Trans-Atlantic slave trade database Harnessing decade’s worth of research expertise in historical slavery, the database rose to the challenge of documenting the estimated 36,000 voyages taken to transport slaves. Completed project Stolen Lives A vibrant and interactive collection of films, stories and songs that use the power of imagery and music to raise awareness of modern slavery issues among schoolchildren. Completed project Scotland's diasporas in a global context Uncovering Scotland’s slavery past. Helping inform effective modern-day migration policies. Completed project Debt, poverty and slavery in historical perspective Exploring the historial relationship between debt and slavery.