Essay On Thomas Clarkson

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Thomas Clarkson

Thomas Clarkson was the most important abolitionist of the 18th and 19th century. He was born in 1760 and died in 1846, both in England, though he traveled frequently in his lifetime. His upbringing (his father was a priest) and his later education in the University of Cambridge sparked his devotion to ending slavery. Clarkson was the catalyst and if it was not for him the abolition of slavery in Britain would never have become a reality, highlighted by the role he played in co-founding of the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, his aid in creating the Slave Trade Act of 1807 and his work with the Anti-Slavery society after abolition.

In 1787, Thomas Clarkson played a pivotal role in founding the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade. The goal of the Society was to tell people about the treatment of slaves and to show the public that slaves were people too and their treatment (and their existence as slaves) needed to be stopped, especially stopping the slave trade itself. They did this by holding rallies, writing anti-slavery bo...

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