Faith-Motivated Politician
Never, never will we desist till we have wiped away this scandal from the Christian name, released ourselves from the load of guilt, under which we at present labour, and extinguished every trace of this bloody traffic, of which our posterity, looking back to the history of these enlightened times, will scarce believe that it has been suffered to exist so long a disgrace and dishonor to this country.
William Wilberforce, speech before the House of Commons, April 18, 1791
Two years earlier, May 12, 1789, Wilberforce finished a similar speech to the House of Commons with these words:
As soon as ever I had arrived thus far in my investigation of the slave trade, I confess to you sir, so enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did its wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for the abolition. A trade founded in iniquity, and carried on as this was, must be abolished, let the policy be what it might—let the consequences be what they would, I from this time determined that I would never rest till I had effected its abolition.1
There is perhaps no greater, no more vile a stain on the pages of history as slavery. England had long been in the slave trade when a young politician from a wealthy family arrived on the political scene. In 1770 alone, approximately one hundred thousand slaves were transported out of West Africa. Half of those were carried in chains on British ships. The slave trade had been conducted for so many years, and slaves used in the West Indies for so long, that many believed ending the practice would destroy the economy of England and other nations. Powerful people had grown rich trading humans for money. “The impossibility of doing without slaves in the West Indies,” one proponent of the practice wrote, “will always prevent this traffic being dropped. The necessity, the absolute necessity, then, of carrying it on, must, since there is no other, be its excuse.”2
During this time, the official Church of England was largely silent. It had become the church for the upper crust. Methodism and other non-Anglican churches appealed to the lower class, and very few “movers and shakers” missed them.
The slave trade had become critically important to the economic health of England. There were some however who, driven by their faith, could no longer abide the practice. One such person was William Wilberforce, who made abolition his life’s aim.
The Young Gentleman from Hull
William Wilberforce was born to a wealthy and influential family on High Street of Hull. Such things, however, could not make Wilberforce physically strong. He was small and sick and suffered from poor eyesight.
His father died when he was nine, and Wilberforce was sent to live with an uncle and aunt. After attending several schools, he entered St. John’s College in Cambridge. Independently wealthy, he lacked a compelling reason to excel in studies, but he did excel in the party life. Nonetheless, he went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
When he was twenty-five his life changed. He had been reading Philip Doddridge’s Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul, and his faith stirred in him again.
During his college days he made friends with William Pitt, who would one day become prime minister. Politics would be Wilberforce’s life—and this would mean life to a great many others.
William Wilberforce made it to the House of Commons in 1780.
The Clapham Sect
Wilberforce was not the only person of faith concerned about England’s direction. A short distance from London was the town of Clapham, a hamlet for the wealthy. He regularly met with a group of influential people there who shared his concerns. These included the Reverend John Venn and Henry Thornton, a wealthy banker. With Wilberforce leading, they would meet for prayer, Bible study, and discussion of pressing political issues. This gathering proved vital to Wilberforce’s eventual successful abolition of the slave trade. It also served as a catalyst for his involvement in other social causes and his commitment to giving 25 percent of his income to the poor.
The Nightingale of the House of Commons
Oratory was Wilberforce’s strong suit. Even a cold reading of his speeches can send chills through a reader. He made his first speech before the House of Commons on the slave trade in 1789, but while well-written and powerfully delivered, it lacked arguments necessary to convince his fellow leaders. A series of resolutions against the slave practice met a similar fate. Often they were simply outmaneuvered in Parliament.
Together with the Clapham Sect, Wilberforce did an in-depth study of the problem. Two years after his first antislavery speech, he introduced a bill to cease the importing of slaves to the West Indies. He told Parliament, “Never, never, will we desist till we have wiped away this scandal from the Christian name, released ourselves from the load of guilt, and extinguished every trace of this bloody traffic.”3
The bill failed.
Wilberforce and his supporters took the message to the people, educating them through literature, lectures, billboards, and more. The goal was to drive public opinion, and by doing so gain the attention of the public leaders.
Victory finally came in February 1807. The tide had turned and the House of Commons, which before had offered only a polite listening to Wilberforce, now heard others preaching the same message and doing so with such intensity that the members came to their feet. When the measure passed, Wilberforce could do nothing but sit and weep.
It was only a partial win. The law halted only the trafficking of slaves. Those already slaves were still bound. More work had to be done. What was needed was emancipation. Wilberforce continued his battle as long as he could, but age and health required the mantle be passed to another: Thomas Fowell Buxton. Success was achieved on July 25, 1833. Four days later Wilberforce died.
Soon after, slaves in the West Indies rose before dawn, gathered on hills, and watched the sun come up on their freedom. It was an expensive success. Slave owners were compensated for their losses—one hundred million dollars in total. Ultimately, the cost was worth it as Wilberforce and his collaborators helped free seven hundred thousand slaves.
Propelled by a Cause
A onetime party animal in college became the voice for hundreds of thousands of slaves. He battled health problems that sometimes kept him bedridden, but he continued with sheer determination. He was targeted by slave traders and others who made money in the sale of human beings. He carried on. Defeat followed defeat, still he pressed forward. The engine of his life was vital Christianity. He had no patience with comfortable Christians.
William Wilberforce showed that faith-driven purpose can alter the very destiny of a man, a country, and the world.