William Wilberforce

The statesman who fought for twenty years in Parliament to have Britain abolish the slave trade.

Life

Son of a wealthy merchant

Born into a wealthy merchant family in Hull, Wilberforce was elected to the House of Commons at twenty-one and was a close friend of Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger. In 1785 he converted to evangelical Christianity and resolved to reform society through his faith.

Evangelicals

From 1787 he led the campaign in Parliament to abolish the slave trade. With Clarkson and others he gathered evidence from slave ships and introduced bill after bill, only to be defeated again and again. In 1807 Parliament finally passed the Slave Trade Act.

Abolition of the slave trade

He then pressed on for the complete abolition of slavery. In July 1833, three days after news came that Parliament had passed the Slavery Abolition Act, he died.

Legacy

Wilberforce was a leading figure of the British abolitionist movement, and his persistence made Britain one of the first major powers to abolish the slave trade.

Did you know? He is buried in Westminster Abbey, right beside his old friend Pitt the Younger.

Key dates

• 1780Elected to Parliament
• 1787Began leading the abolitionist movement
• 1791Abolition bill defeated
• 1807Slave Trade Act passed
• 1833Died after the Slavery Abolition Act passed