The Slavery Abolition Act was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that abolished slavery throughout most of the British Empire. This landmark legislation was the culmination of decades of campaigning by abolitionists like William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson, as well as frequent slave revolts in the Caribbean. The act famously provided for the emancipation of enslaved people, but it also included a controversial 'apprenticeship' system that kept many in forced labor for several more years. Additionally, the British government paid £20 million in compensation to slave owners for their 'loss of property,' a debt that was not fully paid off by UK taxpayers until 2015. While flawed, the act was a massive step in the global movement against human trafficking and served as a legal precedent for other nations to follow in dismantling the institution of chattel slavery.