Finding his cause
Wilberforce finds his cause
The Quakers, long-standing abolitionists, were joined by other opponents of the slave trade and formed an Abolition Committee in 1787. They needed a champion in Parliament – someone who would bring an "Inquiry into the Slave Trade" before the House of Commons - and they felt that Wilberforce was the man for the job.
Wilberforce's friend Pitt, the Prime Minister, in a famous conversation under an oak tree on his country estate, also told Wilberforce to take up the cause.
One of the committee's founding members, Thomas Clarkson, travelled thousands of miles across the UK researching the realities of the trade. His work provided the facts that Wilberforce would use in his first passionate speech to Parliament.
Slave ship diagram, circa 1790, presented as evidence to the House of Commons ©
Making the case against slavery
Although it might seem incredible today, the slavers argued that theirs was a moral trade because they were trying to help people who'd been captured in African wars, who were otherwise going to be executed, and they were taking them to a safe place and a new life.
Wilberforce's speech changed history. After reciting the facts for three hours he said to the lawmakers:
Having heard all of this you may choose to look the other way but you can never again say that you did not know.William Wilberforce