William Wilberforce, English Politician and Abolitionist

William Wilberforce (August 24, 1759 - July 29, 1833) was an English politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to stop the slave trade. Wilberforce was convinced of the importance of religion, morality and education. He championed causes and campaigns such as the Society for the Suppression of Vice, British missionary work in India, the creation of a free colony in Sierra Leone, the foundation of the Church Mission Society, and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. His underlying conservatism led him to support politically and socially controversial legislation, and resulted in criticism that he was ignoring injustices at home while campaigning for the enslaved abroad. He headed the parliamentary campaign against the British slave trade for twenty years until the passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807. In later years, he supported the campaign for the complete abolition of slavery, and continued his involvement after 1826, when he resigned from Parliament because of his failing health. That campaign led to the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, which abolished slavery in most of the British Empire; Wilberforce died, at the age of 73, just three days after hearing that the passage of the Act through Parliament was assured. Portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1828

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12696620

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47672341

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4050px x 3509px (2.6MB)

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NYPL/Science Source/Mary Evans