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How Far Was William Wilberforce Responsible For The Abolition Of The Slave Trade

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The Atlantic Slave Trade was one of the largest and inhumane human slavery systems in history. William Wilberforce played a key part in its abolishment, however; he was not the sole person responsible for its downfall. William Wilberforce can be seen as the leader of the ‘abolitionist’s’, so it can be said that he had a large part to play in the slave trades abolition although there were other key people involved in its abolition like; Olaudah Equiano, John Newton, Thomas Fowell Buxton and Thomas Clarkson. There were also groups involved such as the Quakers and Women and Women’s groups. The abolishment of slavery was not due solely to the work of William Wilberforce because there were many people who aided him in his fight for its abolition …show more content…

Men such as Olaudah Equiano and Thomas Clarkson were key to slaveries abolition. Equiano was a former African slave repetitively bought and sold for £40 until 1766 when he earned enough money to buy his freedom. In 1775, long before Wilberforce started to petition, he was involved with a plantation in the Caribbean and tried to help slaves, almost costing him his freedom. On arrival back to England he started a group called ‘Sons of Africa’, which campaigned for slaveries abolition, and in 1789 published his autobiography called ‘The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano’. It became a bestseller and sold over 2000 copies. His book helped people to see slavery through a slave's eyes. In addition, Thomas Clarkson was one of the most influential figures in the abolition of the slave trade. From 1787-91 he collected evidence for William Wilberforce for his bill. He covered thousands of miles to find witnesses and record accounts. In 1814-15 he tried to convince the French to ban slavery and gained the support of the Russian leader Tsar Alexander the 1st. Clarkson and Equiano were involved in slaveries abolition long before Wilberforce. The abolishment of slavery was not due solely to the work of William Wilberforce because there were other people fighting for the abolition of slavery long before him.

In conclusion, the abolition of slavery was not due solely to the work of William Wilberforce. Although slaveries abolition was not due solely to Wilberforce he was the voice of the ‘abolitionists’, and without him, parliament would never have thought slavery an

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