Bell’s father was the crystallization of the love between the British Royal Navy and black slaves, but in that era, the status of black slaves was low and was not recognized by the British society. After the death of his father and mother, Bell was raised by her uncle. His uncle, Lord Mansfield, was one of Britain’s greatest judges and had a major influence on the development of English law in the 18th century. The most historically significant is its contribution to the British slavery system:
Abolish slavery
The slave trade and the modern capitalist slavery system promoted by it are the stains that cannot be erased in the modern history of the West. Among the countries engaged in the slave trade, the United Kingdom has always been an active pioneer, and in the early 18th century became the largest slave country. The slave trade and the slavery plantations in West India created huge wealth for it. However, when its slave trade reached its peak, there were voices against slave trade and slavery in the United Kingdom, and gradually gathered into a powerful social force, which developed into the British social stage from the late 18th century to the early 19th century. An important scene-the abolition of slavery, which eventually prompted the British government to abolish the slave trade and slavery in 1807 and 1833 respectively, and triggered Western countries to take similar measures. Lord Mansfield was the first judge to pass a verdict to abolish slavery. In the case of Somerset v. Stewart in 1772, Mansfield said in a firm tone:
"Everyone who comes to England has the right to be protected by our laws, no matter what kind of oppression he has suffered before, and what color his skin is. The air of freedom in Britain must never be tainted by slavery." The situation in the case is like this: the plaintiff James Somerset was an African slave who was trafficked from Africa to Virginia, and the defendant Charles Stuart paid for it. On October 1, 1769, the owner Stuart took Samset to England by boat. On November 1, 1769, they arrived in London. Samset served his master there for nearly two years. On October 1, 1771, Samset took the opportunity to escape, but was then hired by his master to take him back. Stuart and hired workers violently arrested Samset and transported him to a ship called "Ann and Mary" on the Thames, intending to ship it to Jamaica for sale. Stuart told the Captain Knowles to make sure that Samset could not escape again. So Knolls put some iron fetters on Samset and locked him on the boat to prevent escape. The case was handed over to Mansfield for judgment. Mansfield ordered a habeas corpus to be sent to Captain Knowles, ordering him to take Samset, who was detained by him, to court. The entire United Kingdom is paying attention to this case, because there were about 15,000 slaves in the United Kingdom at that time, and each slave could be sold for 50 pounds. If Mansfield ruled that this slave was free, then in the United Kingdom that abides by the precedent, all other slaves will also Gaining freedom, the slave owner will lose about 750,000 pounds. This will have a huge impact on British business. And according to the British law at the time, the slave trade was legal. But Mansfield believed that slavery was so ugly that, apart from clear laws, nothing could be tolerated to support it. So Mansfield decided that no matter what impact the abolition of slavery would have on Britain, he would release the slave. The impact of this decision on English law and society is huge. Nearly 15,000 slaves in Britain became free men.
The above is excerpted from "Mansfield and the English Law of the 18th Century" Li Xingxing
Although his uncle's family loves Bell in the film, the influence and pressure of the social environment of racial discrimination are always looming over Bell. At this time, a low-ranking priest’s son entered her life and worked as a trainee lawyer under her uncle’s grandfather. This young man brought the death of a black slave on a slave ship into Bayer’s vision and stirred up emotions in her heart. The waves. As a result, Bell and the young lawyer began their efforts to promote a fair verdict in this black slave death case.
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