The Legacy of Henry Dundas

Henry Dundas helped to move Britain toward the ultimate goal of abolition of the slave trade and slavery.

As a lawyer, Dundas fought in Scottish courts for the freedom of a slave, and forever changed the law of slavery in Scotland.

As a politician, he consistently and publicly condemned slavery and the slave trade as being contrary to justice and humanity.

It was his initiative in 1792 that caused Parliament to vote in favour of abolishing the slave trade for the first time in British history.