The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 was a landmark piece of legislation that abolished slavery throughout most of the British Empire. This victory was the culmination of decades of campaigning by abolitionists like William Wilberforce and Olaudah Equiano, as well as numerous slave rebellions in the Caribbean, such as the Baptist War in Jamaica. The Act emancipated over 800,000 enslaved people in the Caribbean, South Africa, and Mauritius. However, it was not an immediate transition to full freedom; it initially introduced an 'apprenticeship' system that kept many in forced labor for several more years. Controversially, the British government paid £20 million in compensation to slave owners for their 'loss of property'—an amount representing 40% of the national budget at the time—while the formerly enslaved people received nothing. Despite these flaws, the Act set a global precedent and pressured other nations to follow suit.