"So enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did the [slave] trade's wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for abolition. Let the consequences be what they would: I from this time determined that I would never rest until I had effected its abolition." -- William Wilberforce
March 25th, 2007 marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British and US slave trade. In celebration of this anniversary, Amazing Grace, a movie about the life and work of William Wilberforce is being released this Friday, February 23rd.
Here is the trailer for the movie:
(If the actor playing Wilberforce looks familiar, that's because he is Ioan Gruffudd who played Mr. Fantastic in the Fantastic Four.)
So who exactly is William Wilberforce?
Harriet Beecher Stowe praised him in the pages of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Novelist E. M. Forester compared him to Gandhi. Abraham Lincoln invoked his memory in a celebrated speech. In the houses of Parliament, Nelson Mandela recalled his tireless labors on behalf of the sons and daughters of Africa, calling Britain "the land of William Wilberforce—who dared to stand up to demand that the slaves in our country should be freed."
William Wilberforce (1759-1833) led the twenty-year fight to end the British slave trade, a victory now regarded as He finally succeeded in March 1807 and continued to fight for abolition until, days before his death in 1833, he saw the institution of slavery abolished throughout the British colonies.
What is not mentioned here is that Wilberforce was driven to end slavery due to a profound conversion experience to Christianity:
Against great obstacles William Wilberforce, an evangelical member of Parliament, fought for the abolition of the African slave trade and against slavery itself until they were both illegal in the British Empire. Many are aware of Wilberforce’s role in bringing an end to slavery in Great Britain, but few have taken the time to examine his beliefs and motivations that spurred him on for decades. In this concise volume, John Piper tells the story of Wilberforce’s transformation from an unbelieving young politician into a radically God-centered Christian and how his deep spirituality helped to change the moral outlook of a nation.
As world leaders debate over how to deal with a host of social justice and humanitarian crises, a closer look at Wilberforce’s life and faith serves as an encouragement and an example to all believers.
Download John Piper's free 80-page biography of Wilberforce. (PDF) Andre over at Every Square Inch shares his thoughts on Piper's book. Also, here are more books by and about Wilberforce.
The name of the movie, "Amazing Grace", comes from the popular hymn of the same name written by John Newton. Newton, a former slave trader who later converted to Christianity, had a profound influence on Wilberforce.
Johnathan Pearce shares some libertarian thoughts on Wilberforce and the upcoming movie:
I have no idea whether this new film will be any good and what sort of "point" it will make, but if there is a point worth making on a libertarian blog like this, it is that slavery in all its forms is an abomination, a stain on humanity and should be resisted. Furthermore, man since ancient times has known that slavery is an evil but for many centuries was either resigned to the institution, or was cowed into thinking that it was part of the natural order of things.
I think the evil of slavery is something we can all agree on. Organizations such as The Amazing Change and Wilberforce 2007 are using the upcoming anniversary to remind people that slavery still exists in the world. See my previous post on Abolishing Slavery in the 21st Century, National Geographic's 21st Century Slaves, and BBC's Slavery in the 21st Century for more info.
I am looking forward to seeing this movie and hope it helps bring awareness to a tragedy that still affects the lives of millions.
Related Links:
- Ten things you should know about William Wilberforce.
- Breakpoint has four articles on Wilberforce, including this biography.
- Tribute to William Wilberforce on the Plaque in Westminster Abbey.
- William Wilberforce's 1789 Abolition Speech
Organizations Working to End Slavery:
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