William Wilberforce: The Man Who REALLY Ended Slavery
Human rights are very important to me. Anyone who cares about human rights and sacrificially fights to secure them for others has my respect. That's why I regard William Wilberforce as one of the greatest heroes in history.However, it disappoints me to know that my peers know very little about this man. He isn’t taught about alongside other great heroes of history such as George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, even though he played a comparable role in protecting the rights and freedoms of men.
HISTORY
As a member of parliament from 1780 to 1825, William Wilberforce was alerted to the atrocities of the slave trade. At the time, the African slaves were forced to endure harsh conditions as they were transported on ships to the West Indies. They were placed into cramped positions that barely afforded them the ability to move or even discard waste in a healthy manner. The slaves would arrive at their destination in very ill-conditions, if not dead. This was among one of the initial pieces of information that drove William Wilberforce to end the slave trade.This was no simple task, however. Members of Parliament strongly opposed Wilberforce's constant attempts to pass bills for the abolition of the slave trade in England. Repeatedly, these bills failed to gain the support required. His opponents were quick to argue that abolition of the slave trade would have economic disadvantages. To make matters worse, William Wilberforce faced a constant battle with what is believed today to have been ulcerative colitis. This constant thorn in his side often delayed his ability to fight for the rights of these men and women. This was a society where slavery was commonplace, the government was unwilling to yield, and where the man leading this charge was constantly bedridden by his condition. However, he continued to fight and eventually won.In 1807, after nearly twenty years of effort, the Slave Trade Act was passed. Though it did not entirely abolish slavery, this bill did bring about an immediate cessation of the slave trade, a crucial foundation to the structure of slavery that was now on the brink of collapsing altogether.
Conclusion
In 1825, William Wilberforce was forced to resign as MP due to the worsening of his condition. Even so, the collective charge against slavery only grew. Unfortunately, so did Wilberforce’s condition. On July 29th, 1833, one month before the Bill for the Abolition of Slavery was finally signed into law in England, William Wilberforce died. William Wilberforce fought through emotional, political, and physical struggles against what is probably the most difficult type of battle to win. A battle of ideas. A cultural battle in which your opposition might just happen to be the people closest to you.Celebrities, government, and society constantly try to tell us that immoral actions are right. However, Wilberforce reminds me that we must fight for what we know to be true. If William Wilberforce can change an entire culture through similar actions, perhaps we might just be able to change the world.