Wilberforce - Anti Slavery Campaigner

By Mark Whitcombe and Martin McGahon

The debate on whether you can mix religion and politics has raged for centuries. When they do come together there is no question that the union can be a powerful force for good and for change. Back in the 18th century William Wilberforce demonstrated how effectively the two can work side by side.

Born on the 24th of August 1759, in Kingston-upon-Hull, Northern England, William Wilberforce was just nine when his father died. His mother sent him to London to live in Wimbledon with his aunt Hannah, who was a strong supporter of John Wesley and the Methodist movement. But his staunchly Anglican mother and grandfather were alarmed at these nonconformist influences, and a few years later William was brought back to Hull.

But as he grew, William returned to the Methodists’ principles. He initially resisted the lively social life in Hull, but gradually his religious fervour started to diminish. He began to embrace activities generally frowned upon by the Methodists: theatre-going, attending balls and playing cards.

While at Cambridge University he began to consider a career in politics.  Wilberforce befriended future Prime Minister William Pitt, and together they frequently watched the debates in the House of Commons. After graduating, Wilberforce continued to enjoy a self-indulgent lifestyle, thinking little of the Methodist morals he once aspired to. He firmly decided on a career in politics, and in 1780, he was elected as an independent MP for Hull.

Four years later, Wilberforce embarked upon a tour of Europe with his mother and sister, and in the company of his university friend Isaac Milner. Little did Wilberforce know when they set off that this journey would entirely change his life. He began to read Philip Doddridge’s “Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul,” which exhorted him to get up early and read his Bible.This new habit caused him to lose interest in card games and drinking, so much so that he became a committed Christian. On his return to London, he joined the influential evangelical Clapham Sect, a group of mainly Anglican social reformers interested in causes such as the liberation of slaves and the reform of the penal system.

But Wilberforce's conversion led him to question whether he should remain in public life. He sought guidance from John Newton, the author of the famous hymn, Amazing Grace. He was a leading evangelical at the time, whom William had heard preach years before when living in Wimbledon with his aunt.

Both Newton and Wilberforce’s friend Pitt counselled him to remain in politics. He did so and William’s political views were now formed by his faith and desire to promote Christian ethics, both privately and in public policy.

By this time, a man called Thomas Clarkson was already campaigning for an end to the slave trade, where British ships took black slaves from Africa across the Atlantic to the Americas. The slaves were often transported in terrible conditions, and when Wilberforce learnt of the trade’s horrors, he joined Clarkson’s movement and began to lobby for the abolition of the slavery.

With the encouragement of William Pitt, he spent eighteen years regularly introducing anti-slavery motions to the British Parliament. Wilberforce had found a cause that he could throw himself into, heart and soul. In 1787, he wrote that “God almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the Slave Trade and the reformation of manners.” These remained his most urgent goals for the rest of his life.

Most of England had abandoned  the Church by the 18th century and Wilberforce was determined to draw people back into the Christian faith. He wanted to see Christianity change the whole fabric of British society. He worked with the poor, and to establish educational, prison and healthcare reform. He also wanted to limit the number of hours children were required to work in factories. During Wilberforce’s life, he campaigned for about 70 charitable causes.

Up until the late seventeen hundreds, Wilberforce had shown little interest in women. But in his late thirties, after a whirlwind romance, Wilberforce married 20 year old Barbara Spooner in Bath on 30th May 1797. The couple were devoted to one another and had six children in less than ten years. Wilberforce suffered many set backs in his campaigning for the end to the slave trade, but his wife was vital in encouraging William to continue.

Finally, after twenty years of dedication, and following rejection after rejection, Wilberforce had a Parliamentary victory. In 1807 the Members of Parliament voted to abolish the slave trade by 283 votes to 16. In the House of Commons, Wilberforce was cheered as he sat with his head bowed and weeping; he attributed this long-awaited success to God.

On 25th March 1807 the Slave Trade Act became law. This made the trade in slaves illegal, but William continued to campaign for the rights of slaves in Africa and other parts of the world. Wilberforce’s health was failing and he was forced to retire from politics in 1825, leaving the battle for the total abolition of slavery in the hands of others.

Even so, Wilberforce was to see his mission fulfilled – just three days before his death, Wilberforce learned of government concessions that guaranteed the passing of the Bill for the Abolition of Slavery. Wilberforce died on 29th July 1833. One month later, the House of Lords passed the Slavery Abolition Act.

Wilberforce was buried in Westminster Abbey, near his close friend William Pitt. Although some 20th century historians have tried to minimise his part in the abolition of slavery, his influence has now been recognised, with his place in history assured. William Wilberforce: another British Hero of Faith.