Wilberforce, William
Achievements: The UK Slavery Abolition Act
Born: August 24, 1759; Hull, England
Died: July 29, 1833; London. Aged 73
Field & Discipline: Politics; Political Activist
Language: English
Education: Hull Grammar School; St John's College, Cambridge
Major Work: "Practical Christianity" (1797)
Life & Times:
In 1780, at 21, Wilberforce was elected Member of Parliament, and set about getting accepted into London society. His charm was soon noticed. He was an amusing mimic and sang beautifully. Wilberforce inherited his uncle's villa at Wimbledon, and [university pal of] Pitt*, a university friend and now Prime Minister, would ride there from London, using the house as his own. In 1783, Wilberforce and Pitt went to Paris, where Wilberforce met the American statesman and scientist [met] Benjamin Franklin*. At Fontainbleau, Wilberforce met Queen Marie Antoinette.
In 1784, while electioneering successfully in York, he stood on a table to speak (he was only 5 ft. 4 inches) [met] Boswell* wrote "I saw a little fellow on a table... a perfect shrimp. But presently the shrimp swelled into a whale". By 1785, Wilberforce had decided to pursue a more meaningful spiritual life and leaned toward Methodism. But knowing society disparaged the religion, he wondered whether embracing it would affect his career. He talked to John Newton, who introduced him to [a pal of] Hannah More*, wit and playwright, who had experienced a similar spiritual journey. As part of his move to a more spiritual life, Wilberforce gave up the high life -- gambling, dancing, going to the theater - in spite of the fact that his constituency of Yorkshire expected him to lead an active social life.
Wilberforce met Sir Charles Middleton, Comptroller of the Navy and an evangelical, who changed his life. Middleton advocated the abolition of the slave trade and asked Wilberforce to raise the matter in the House of Commons. Wilberforce became deeply involved in the abolition campaign and found many other things in need of reform. Vast quantities of alcohol were being consumed (even Pitt and [knew] Sheridan*, had no qualms about showing up drunk in the Commons.) Corruption in public life was widespread. Marriage was not respected. The theater had moved away from serious plays to frivolous entertainment.
Wilberforce felt that England must strengthen its respect for the law, and in 1787 persuaded George III to reissue his proclamation for the Encouragement of Piety and Virtue and for the Preventing of Vice, Profaneness and Immorality. In the same year, Wilberforce became one of the founders of the Proclamation Society (to suppress the publication of obscenity) and the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade (or the Anti-Slavery Society).
In his fight against slavery, Wilberforce decided he would first try to stop the supply of slaves, so that at least the slave owners on the plantations would treat their slaves better, knowing they would not get any more. He tried unsuccessfully to get a diplomatic agreement with the French for this policy. In 1772, [work related to] Granville Sharp*, a clerk in the ordinance office, had managed to get a ruling from a reluctant judge that slavery was illegal in England. [opposed by] Nelson* opposed this.
In 1787 the abolitionists founded a settlement in Sierra Leone to take slaves from England after they were freed. In May, 1789, Wilberforce put the case for outright abolition to the House. By now there was a considerable body of public opinion pressing for abolition. Wilberforce’s house in London became the centre for abolitionists. Cowper* wrote a poem called "The Negro"s Complaint". [supported by] Wedgwood*, the potter and industrialist, produced a cameo of a Negro in chains with the inscription, "Am I not a man and a brother?" John [encouraged by] Wesley* wrote a letter of encouragement to Wilberforce. In 1791, the anti-slavery debate lost in Parliament, but the country supported Wilberforce, who vowed to raise the issue every year. [helped set up] The Sierra Leone Company* was set up in London. In 1792, the word "gradual" was inserted before "abolition" and the House accepted the principle of abolition.
The Revolutionary French Convention made him an honorary citizen of France, which he resented because he didn't believe in revolution, and it especially annoyed him because [disliked] Thomas Paine*, whom he abhorred, was similarly honored.
In 1797, Wilberforce married Barbara Spooner, the daughter of a banker and merchant in Birmingham. They spent most of their honeymoon with Hannah More. In the same year, he published a book, "Practical Christianity." In 1806, he had his first abolitionist success in Parliament. Pitt had died and Grenville was leading a coalition in the House with Fox. A bill was passed to abolish the slave trade in the British West Indies, essentially forbidding British ships in the area to carry slaves. In 1807, another bill extended the ban to British ships in all seas.
In 1814, the Duke of Gloucester arranged a meeting between Wilberforce and French writer, [an ally was] De Stael*, who had heard Wilberforce speak in England. De Stael became an important ally for the cause of abolition in France. By 1821, the abolitionists were campaigning for immediate emancipation of all slaves. In 1825, Wilberforce retired from the House of Commons. In 1830, though failing, he took the chair at an abolition meeting. In 1833, on his death bed, Wilberforce was informed that all slaves in the Empire would be freed within a year. [visited by] Gladstone* came to see him. Wilberforce's funeral, in the summer of 1833, was held in Westminster Abbey.
Extra Connections: His son, Bishop [son was] “Soapy Sam” Wilberforce*, argued against Darwin’s theory of evolution.
[funeral attended by] Emerson* attended his funeral.
Was a friend of the historian [a pal of] Macaulay*, and [a pal of] bluestocking Mrs Elizabeth Wortley Montagu*
He visited reformer [visited] Robert Owen’s* New Lanark Mills
Met visiting America chemist [met] Silliman Snr*
Assessment: Wilberforce's leadership enabled a band of like-minded men and
women to obtain the abolition of slavery.
Oneliner: William Wilberforce, major British anti-slavery figure
Bibliography:
- Lean, Garth, God's Politician, William Wilberforce's Struggle, Darton, Longman & Todd, London, 1980.
- Pollock, John, Wilberforce, Constable and Company Ltd, London, 1977.
Father: Robert Wilberforce
Mother: Elizabeth Bird
Siblings: 3 sisters
Spouse: Barbara Ann Spooner
Children: Robert Isaac William Samuel (Bishop of Oxford); Henry William (friend of John Henry Newman and a founder of the Oxford Movement); 2 daughters