Their Story Their Voice
Their Story Their Voice
Wilberforce's Mission: Abolishing Slavery in the British Empire
I delved into the inspiring life of William Wilberforce. Born into a middle-class family, His perseverance, along with allies led to the historic abolition of slavery in 1833. Wilberforce's unwavering moral conviction and dedication remind us that true kindness and persistence can ignite monumental change. Stay inspired and stay kind!
Please note transcription accuracy may vary.
Below are links to the materials mentioned in this episode:
https://www.hullmuseums.co.uk/wilberforce-house-museum/what-to-see-wilberforce
https://www.britannica.com/topic/transatlantic-slave-trade/The-Middle-Passage
Music by:
(Neffex - A year ago)
(Neffex - dont want to let myself go)
Britannia rule the waves. Rule Britannia. Britannia rule the waves. Britons never, never, never will be slaves. Brits sang this song passionately about never being slaves Welcome to another episode of Their Story, Their Voice. Hope you're all doing okay. I will also apologise because I'm so grateful for what I get living here, because I feel like recently I seem to be being a bit rude to the country where my home is. So, I'm sorry, but also, come on Britain, really? This era was not one of your finest. During the height of the British Empire, the slave trade played a vital role in its economic stability. However, it is true that during the 17th and the 18th century, Britons did actually rule the waves. The British Navy was seen as a formidable fleet. Whilst also mentioning that during this time, the British Empire consisted of North America, Africa, India, and some of the Caribbean islands. Because their empire was actually that vast. They had an advantage over the other European countries. There is a point. This episode, the spotlight is on William Wilberforce, who was born in at 1759 in East Yorkshire. He was born into a middle class family he went on to graduate from Cambridge University and he became the MP of East Yorkshire at the age of 21. To become an MP at the age of 21, that's young, that's really young. And just to clarify mP stands for Member of Parliament. His journey led him to convert to evangelical Christianity. I struggled with the word evangelical for some reason, I do not know why and his faith was extremely important to him and he believed all are created equal in the image of God. This is something he will go on to demonstrate throughout his political career. He could be described as, I'm not sure if I'm just describing him, him as this, or if actually people did describe him as this, but we're just going to go with it. One of the forefathers of Christian activism, who would go on to campaign for those who were marginalized in society. Wilberforce was introduced to the anti slavery movement through his friend John Newton. interesting fact about John Newton that I learned, other than being complicit in the slave trade. Later describing it as a great moral failing. He would go on to create the hymn that I feel like most people know the hymn, Amazing Grace. Which I believe is one of the most well known Christian hymns still sang today he would go on to explain to his friend what he witnessed on board, at the time Wilberforce had not actually yet converted to Evangelical Christianity, this would come later on. This is one of the pivotal moments that put him on the trajectory to become part of the anti slavery movement. It was not until years later when he was approached by Thomas Clarkson and Granville Sharp. Clarkson and Sharp were already involved in the anti slavery movement, not dissimilar to today. If you want real change to happen, you need to be able to push some laws through Parliament, and that's when they approached him and asked if he would join, their movement. By this time Wilberforce had actually converted to evangelical Christianity and was more receptive to taking the message to Parliament as he now dedicated himself to social reform. Clarkson Wilberforce the factual ammunition from the point of a humanitarian that he would require to then present the information of the anti slavery movement to Parliament. Sharp came from a different angle as he was already, an established lawyer and had already been defending the rights of the enslaved people in the courts. All three men together formed a powerful trio that combined passion, research and political influence. It is worth bearing in mind during this time, going back to the beginning of this, the slave trade was actually working quite well for the British Empire a lot of the politicians were invested in the slave trade because they were gaining. Money, money, money. The British Empire were reliant on the commodities from countries to trade for the enslaved. So everyone was benefiting. Slave traders, the economy, and natural resources that they were able to gain from, from the colonised countries, such as sugar. The enslaved were taken to America to work on the plantations there, but America, come on, come on, but that's next week's episode. What made Wilberforce different, what made him different was that he didn't see the monetary value of the slave trade, instead he just saw the injustice and the inhumane acts that were coming from this. As did Clarkson and Sharp. Not dissimilar to Desmond Doss, who was mocked for being a conscientious co operator, Wilberforce was mocked for being an evangelical Christian and his passion to make changes the other MPs did not understand. And also these weren't actually changes that they wanted to be enforced because they were benefiting from this. So, they just thought there was something wrong with him. However, and this is the reason I mentioned Desmond Doss, because just like when He was made to feel as if there was something wrong with him. He didn't quit. And Wilberforce also didn't quit. He kept on pushing to get the bill passed and eventually, it was. The Abolition of Slavery Act was finally passed on the 26th of July 1833. Three days after the act was passed, Wilberforce passed away at the age of 73. His family home later became Wilberforce House, a museum featuring displays relating to his life and his journey. In the end, William Wilberforce's greatest act of kindness wasn't just his tireless fight for justice, but also his ability to persevere despite intense opposition. His belief in the fundamental dignity of every human being, regardless of race, led to one of the most significant social reforms in British history. Wilberforce once said, so enormous, so dreadful, so irredeemable did the trade's wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for abolition. Let the consequences be what they would. I, from this time, determined that I would never rest until I had effected its abolition. This was not just a political battle for him, it was a deeply personal and a spiritual calling. His story reminds all of us that kindness isn't always easy, but it can change the world. When combined with moral conviction and perseverance. It was not until August 1834 that slavery was abolished in the British Empire. History shows us that there will always be people who fight, for the rights of others. These men gave voice to those who were silenced. Thank you for listening to another mini episode of Their Story, Their Voice. Be kind to others, but most importantly, be kind to yourself. Bye bye bye
