Wilberforce was a remarkable character who bounced back from many defeats as a British member of Parliament, and eventually wrote and helped pass the first bill to end the slave trade in the British colonies. Wilberforce University in the Dayton area is named in his honor.
“You may choose to look the other way but you can never again say that you did not know,” Wilberforce said after he described the brutal realities of slavery to Parliament the first time he offered his Abolitionist Bill for a vote. His speech was highly praised in the British newspapers, even though his bill did not pass this time.
From 1789 until the end of his life, Wilberforce introduced several bills in Parliament to ban the Slave Trade. He was strongly opposed by those who profited from the trade. They used many filibusters and delaying tactics, similar to what goes on in the U.S. Congress today.
Even with all of these defeats, Wilberforce never gave up. His first bill passed in 1807 which partially banned slave trading on ships.
Finally, after many attempts, the Abolition of Slavery bill passed in the House of Commons in 1833 which required a total ban.
Wilberforce also developed a strong interest in social reforms. He campaigned for public access to health care, educational and prison reform and child labor legislation to prohibit the worst forms of child labor, according to a UNESCO site dedicated to the Wilberforce legacy.
Wilberforce also encouraged other nations, including the U.S., to adopt similar anti-slavery legislation. Wilberforce spent the last 25 years of his life helping to end the institution of slavery itself. Despite all of Wilberforce’s good works, he is not widely known, and rarely mentioned in the popular history books.
Wilberforce did not start out as a reformer. His main interests were to achieve personal wealth and join the other wealthy members of Parliament in recreational activities. He was later influenced by John Newton, the former slave trader who became a strong anti-slavery advocate. The song (and movie) “Amazing Grace” is largely based on Newton’s efforts to end the slave trade.
Wilberforce found out about the passage of his Abolition of Slavery bill only three days before his death. He was buried in Westminster Abbey next to kings, prime ministers, and the most famous poets, playwrights, and writers of that era.
We celebrate William Wilberforce’s birthday Aug. 24. This holiday was established by Chase’s Calendar of Events through the efforts of myself and several of my independent study students at Wilberforce University. It was officially approved by Chase’s in 2010, and is included in their directory that is sent out to thousands of libraries in the United States every year.
When I was interviewed by WCSU-FM about Wilberforce Day a few years ago, I focused the conversation on three key talking points: 1. Wilberforce had a positive impact on the ending of slavery through his persistence and determination; 2. He is not a well-known historical figure; 3. William Wilberforce Day, on Aug. 24, his birthday, is an attempt to get the word out about his legacy.
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