The difference between ending the slave trade and ending slavery lies in the scope and nature of what was abolished.

Ending the Slave Trade

The abolition of the slave trade refers specifically to stopping the international or transatlantic trading of enslaved people. It means that it became illegal to buy, sell, or transport enslaved individuals across borders, but it did not necessarily free those already enslaved. For example, the British abolished the slave trade in 1807 through the Slave Trade Act, but slavery itself remained legal in British colonies until later legislation.

Ending Slavery

Ending slavery involves abolition of the entire institution, meaning that enslaved people are legally freed and slavery as an economic system is abolished entirely. This usually occurs through legislation like the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 in Britain, which freed all slaves in the British Empire, or similar laws elsewhere. This step often followed the abolition of the slave trade and marked the end of holding people in slavery as property.

Summary

• Ending the slave trade : Stops the importation and exportation of slaves but does not automatically free those already enslaved.
• Ending slavery : Frees all enslaved individuals and abolishes the practice altogether.

Both are critical milestones, but historically, abolishing the trade was often a precursor to the full abolition of slavery itself.