How Abolition Works

To abolish means to put an end to something that affects societies or people (mostly negatively) permanently, so abolition is the act of abolishing. In the business world and in different societies, authorities abolished laws for many reasons like injustice and other challenges. Historically, the effects of many repealed regulations ranged from mild to severe and extreme. To seek fairness or eliminate those adverse effects, people may call for laws or activities to permanently end.

For you to abolish something, you need to consider several factors. These factors include who's affected by what you want to abolish, how they are affected, and the extent. It could take anywhere from one day to several decades to finally repeal a law or activity. Authorities may deliberate on abolishing a law if need be. In some cases, you might protest or fight to repeal laws, activities, or rules in a workplace or society. Such protests will raise awareness to trigger an abolition.

When the authorities choose to abolish something, it becomes illegal and unacceptable within their jurisdiction. This means that if any individual is guilty of carrying out an abolished activity or following a repealed law, there will be consequences. Additionally, the effects of carrying out an abolished act vary in severity, depending on what punishment the authority puts in place. The relevant authority may impose a fine, lay off guilty staff members in a professional setting, consider imprisonment of guilty people, or other measures.

Example of Abolish

One of the most famous examples of abolished activity is the slave trade. The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 stands out in British history, as Parliament abolished slavery in most British colonies. The abolition freed over 800,000 enslaved Africans in South African and the Caribbean and a few in Canada. The abolition received Royal Assent on the 28th of August, 1833, and eventually took effect on the 1st of August, 1834.

Several factors triggered the act's passage. During this period, the British economy was in flux, and, with a new system of international trade emerging, there was a threat to its slaveholding colonies in the Caribbean. The colonies were mainly for sugar production and could no longer keep up with larger plantation economies like Brazil and Cuba. Merchants started to demand an abolition of the monopolies on the British market possessed by the Caribbean colonies in favor of free-trade. The tenacious struggles of enslaved Africans and a fear of possible slave uprisings among plantation proprietors were also factors.

In a more recent example, Johann Neem, a Western Washington University historian, has called for abolishing the business major. According to Neem, the business major degree program is "anti-intellectual" and should have no place in American colleges. This stance also focuses on the idea that the business major's recent growth imposes a high cost on students and their colleges. In this way, abolishing the undergraduate business major could be beneficial reform to both colleges and their students.