William Wilberforce and the Abolition of the British Slave Trade

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William Wilberforce & the Abolition of the British Slave Trade

William Wilberforce, a member of British Parliament, led a battle against Parliament to put and end to the slave trade, a brutal and inhumane business. It was not an easy feat to accomplish, lasting close to 20 years and there were many obstacles faced throughout the period. With persistence and perseverance, he and others that he worked with, were able to outlaw the slave trade of Britain. Not only did he affect his time period, but had a lasting affect on other societies, starting a movement of abolishing slavery.

The British slave trade was one of the major parts of the British economy and it was very prevalent it the time, especially among the upper class. Slavery was a highly accepted and legal practice. The thought of abolition at this time was unheard of. The amount of racism in the 18th century was very high. Little to be known, a ground breaking movement by a young Parliament member by the name of William Wilberforce, would change British history forever.

William Wilberforce became a member of British Parliament at the age of twenty-one and became spokesman of the House of Commons, one of the highest Parliamentary positions, at the age of twenty-four. He came from a well off family that was very

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wealthy. He and the rest of his family were considered of the political elite status. At the age of 17, he enrolled at Cambridge. A good description of him is a young man was a boy that loved to party and stay out late. He did not have much of a moral compass or any firm values for his first few years in Parliament as well. He was an “upper class unbeliever.” He was a lost and confused man. It was not until he met Isaac Milner, a well round...

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...se their own free will and will stand up for what is right. Everyone goes with the flow and does what is socially acceptable. With the guidance of the faith, Wilberforce was able to make a great difference with some hard work and perseverance. He is a true hero in British history.

Bibliography

Metaxas, Eric. Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery. New York, NY: HarperSanFrancisco, 2007. Print.

"Abolition of Slavery and the Slave Trade." Abolish Foreignness. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.

"William Wilberforce and the Campaign to End Slavery - Reformation Society." Reformation Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.

"Motivation Matters - The Great Leader Series No. 24 - William Wilberforce." Motivation Matters - The Great Leader Series No. 24 - William Wilberforce. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.

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