William Wilberforce (1759 – 1833)
- Initially inspired by John Newton
- Elected to Parliament in 1780
- Converted to Evangelical Christianity in 1784 and became interested in social reform
- Inspired by Clarkson and co., he tried to end slave trade in the House of Commons
- Created bills to abolish slave trade (first one in 1791); rejected numerous times
- Abolition of the Slave Trade act was passed in 1807; abolished slave trade but not slavery itself
- Wilberforce believed that slaves should not be immediately given freedom; they would not be able to function in society if not educated and trained first
- A month after he died, the Slavery Abolition Act was passed and all slaves within Britain were free
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