find my roots
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A message from
the Minister
Nabeela Farida Tunis
Founding of Freetown
HISTORY OF SLAVERY AND RETURN OF FREE SLAVE
There had been some sort of slave trade across the Sahara desert ever since the 6th century A.D., especially during the heyday of the Mali Empire (14th century). Throughout Africa prior to European invasion, people became enslaved after losing battles or wars, and enslavement in modern-day Sierra Leone was believed to be very rare. The transatlantic slave trade started in earnest after the establishment of European colonies in the Americas, to supply workforce for labour camps where cotton, rice, tobacco and other crops were grown.
By the 17th century, Portuguese colonialism began to decline and it was replaced by the British, who set up factories on Sherbro and Tasso Island, but they were soon destroyed by the French and Dutch navy during naval wars. It was decided to fortify Bunce, a tiny island on the edge of Freetown Harbour, easier to defend. The fortification began in 1670 and the island was initially used for commercial purposes, before being abandoned after an attack by an Afro-Portuguese slave trader. By the mid-18th century, Bunce Island was settled again and soon became the largest slave castle in modern-day Sierra Leone, where tens of thousand of displaced Africans were held and processed before being sent across the Atlantic for a life of enslavement.
British abolitionist Granville Sharp founded the Committee for the Relief of Black Poor, which in 1787 advanced the proposal of resettling some of London’s impoverished people of African origin in the Freetown area. Many of these “Black Poor” were African-American Loyalists who fought with the British during the American Revolutionary War. The proposal was believed to achieve two goals at the same time - taking the pressure off the British government from having to support these people, and having them run the new colony (which later became Sierra Leone).
After the British were defeated in the American Revolutionary War, many African-American Loyalists were forced to leave the United States and moved to Nova Scotia. Through Thomas Peters, their spokesperson and a veteran Black Loyalist, they expressed interest in settling the new colony on the coast of modern-day Sierra Leone. In 1792, 1200 Black Nova Scotians in 15 ships were the first to land, and founded the city of Freetown. There is an iconic image of the settlers praying under the Cotton Tree, thanking God for a successful crossing.
In 1800, 500 Jamaican Maroons arrived in Sierra Leone, after being deported from Jamaica following the Second Maroon War. They were initially offered settlement in Nova Scotia, but couldn’t acclimate to the harsh climate. They were given some land that originally belonged to Black Nova Scotians who arrived in Sierra Leone in the latter years of the 18th century, but rebelled against the British and were deported. Later, Maroons lived in their own districts with distinct culture and customs.
The British government outlawed the slave trade in 1807, although it continued unofficially until the 1830s at least. The Royal Navy established a squadron for the purpose of intercepting illegal vessels carrying enslaved persons - who were then liberated and offered the chance to settle in newly-founded Freetown. These Sierra Leone Krio (creole) people are the descendents of these Liberated Africans, the Maroons, the Black Poor and the Nova Scotians.
In 1808, Sierra Leone was established as a British colony on the coast of West Africa, and Freetown became the capital of British West Africa, which also included modern-day Ghana, The Gambia and Nigeria. The population of Freetown quickly expanded and the city grew around the harbour, including the surrounding hills and hinterland.
After 150 years of British colonial rule, Sierra Leone gained independence on April 27th, 1961. The Sierra Leonean delegation that petitioned Queen Elizabeth II for independence was led by Sir Milton Margai, a physician who later became the first Prime Minister of Sierra Leone. Independence marked the beginning of modern Sierra Leone history, towards a bright and prosperous future.