Abolition of the Slave Trade Act (1833)

        Slavery was abolished in England by the passing of the Slavery Abolition Act, passed by British Parliament on 24 August 1833. It became law in 1834 and emancipated all the slaves in the British Empire. This affected South Africa , which was a British colony at the time, as many colonists at the Cape had a great deal of capital invested in their slaves. Colonists were particularly annoyed by the fact that compensation for the slaves was to be collected personally in England, and in many instances the cost would be more than the money received.