Enslaved Africans worked in sugar production

In the 1970's, Liverpool was considered the European capital of the transatlantic slave trade. Vast profits helped transform Liverpool into one of Britain’s most important and wealthy cities. Liverpool ships sailed to West Africa and exchanged goods for enslaved Africans who were brutally transported across the Atlantic and sold. The slave ships then picked up sugar, cotton and tobacco grown on plantations by enslaved Africans and took these goods back to Britain. Supporters promoted racist attitudes to justify their brutal trade. Their racist legacy affects people in Liverpool today. Items on display include a slave branding iron (replica) and sugar cone.