They hosted rallies, passed out books and flyers and finally revealing one of the largest petitions in British history. With these tales of the horrors and indignities pressed upon unfortunate human beings, Wilberforce began networking with members of the Clapham religious sect, and other abolitionists, to raise awareness of the atrocities rendered in slave trade. Diseases often break out and I believe nearly half of the slaves on board have sometimes died.” “Sometimes the weather keeps them below deck for a week and they have to breathe hot and corrupted air. and every morning perhaps more instances than one are found of the living and the dead. And I have known a white man sent down among the men to lay them in rows to the greatest advantage, so that as little space as possible be lost. I have known them so close that the shelf would not easily contain one more. in two rows one above the other, on each side of the ship, close to each other, like books upon a shelf. In his autobiography, Newton described the conditions as such: He ensured that others saw the horrific conditions in which slaves were held, against their will, aboard ships. His fight to end the trade of British ships carrying black slaves from Africa to the “West Indies” or “Americas” where they were bought and sold, was a bitter one, wrought with strife. With these influential men by his side, Wilberforce campaigned for the abolition of slave trade for 18 years. “.A crime, founded on the dreadful pre-eminence in wickedness, a crime, which being both of individuals and the nation, must sometime draw down upon us the heaviest judgment of Almighty God, who made of one blood all the sons of men, and who gave to all equally a natural right to liberty and who, ruling all the kingdoms of earth with equal providential justice, cannot suffer such deliberate, such monstrous iniquity, to pass long unpunished.”Ĭlarkson further explained that slavery “is contrary to reason, justice, nature, the principles of law and government, the whole doctrine, in short, of natural religion, and the revealed voice of God.” The essay was entitled, An Essay on the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species. In 1787, he was called upon by Thomas Clarkson, with a copy of his “Essay on Slavery,” at which point the men met and began to collaborate, as well. Although he wished to leave politics in order to go into ministry, Newton convinced Wilberforce to stay in Parliament and “serve God where he was.” Wilberforce took his advice and “spent the rest of his life working towards the abolition of slavery.” He was elected to Parliament at the age of 21. However, between his Christian faith, and his duties as a member of Parliament for Hull, he became a powerful force and the voice of the abolition movement in Parliament. He often suffered from poor health, as well. Wilberforce was a slightly built man, only five foot three inches tall, was born in Hull, or Kingston upon Hull, is a port city in East Yorkshire, England. He was well educated at Cambridge University where he became friends with the future prime minister, William Pitt. In collaborating with William Wilberforce, he was able to reach the depths of Parliament and high society.īorn in 1759, William Wilberforce was the son of a wealthy merchant. He grew to deeply regret his involvement in the slave trade and began speaking against the trade. This experience is what he touted as the moment when he began to realize the horror of his trade, and he began to change. While this was the beginning of his desire to embrace Christianity, it was later, on another slave ship that he became deeply ill and prayed again for God’s intervention. It was during a storm in 1748, when Newton thought his ship full of slaves may sink, that he prayed to God for deliverance. Eventually, he became a slave ship master, working with slave traders to transport people, treating them as cargo. He was, at one point, a slave himself, sold by a slave trader to African royalty. At age 11, Newton began going to sea with his father, and eventually served in the British Navy. His father was a sea-captain and his mother a Puritan who died shortly after his death. John Newton was born in London, England in 1725. When you hear the iconic song, Amazing Grace, what do you think of ? Church choirs? Funerals? Perhaps bagpipes belting out the haunting tune? Did you know that the author of Amazing Grace was once a slave ship master who saw the light, reformed his ways and became one of the most influential people in history for the abolition of slave trade? His influence, particularly on William Wilberforce, helped to push the British Parliament to abolish slavery in 1807.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |