In the 19th century, human rights became a central concern over the issue of slavery. A number of reformers such as William Wilberforce in Britain, worked towards the abolition of slavery. This was achieved in the British Empire by the Slave Trade Act 1807 and the Slavery Abolition Act 1833. In the United States, many northern states abolished their institution of slavery by the mid 19th century, although southern states were still very much economically ...
