Thomas Clarkson

author

Thomas Clarkson

1760–1846

A tireless voice against the slave trade, he turned moral outrage into practical action and helped change British history. His life story is one of research, persuasion, and extraordinary persistence.

8 Audiobooks

The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave Trade by the British Parliament (1808), Volume I

The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave Trade by the British Parliament (1808), Volume I

by Thomas Clarkson

The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave-Trade, by the British Parliament (1839)

The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave-Trade, by the British Parliament (1839)

by Thomas Clarkson

An Essay on the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species, Particularly the African Translated from a Latin Dissertation, Which Was Honoured with the First Prize in the University of Cambridge, for the Year 1785, with Additions

An Essay on the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species, Particularly the African Translated from a Latin Dissertation, Which Was Honoured with the First Prize in the University of Cambridge, for the Year 1785, with Additions

by Thomas Clarkson

The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave Trade by the British Parliament (1808), Volume II

The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave Trade by the British Parliament (1808), Volume II

by Thomas Clarkson

Thoughts on the Necessity of Improving the Condition of the Slaves in the British Colonies With a View to Their Ultimate Emancipation; and on the Practicability, the Safety, and the Advantages of the Latter Measure.

Thoughts on the Necessity of Improving the Condition of the Slaves in the British Colonies With a View to Their Ultimate Emancipation; and on the Practicability, the Safety, and the Advantages of the Latter Measure.

by Thomas Clarkson

A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume 3 Taken from a View of the Education and Discipline, Social Manners, Civil and Political Economy, Religious Principles and Character, of the Society of Friends

A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume 3 Taken from a View of the Education and Discipline, Social Manners, Civil and Political Economy, Religious Principles and Character, of the Society of Friends

by Thomas Clarkson

A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume 2 Taken from a View of the Education and Discipline, Social Manners, Civil and Political Economy, Religious Principles and Character, of the Society of Friends

A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume 2 Taken from a View of the Education and Discipline, Social Manners, Civil and Political Economy, Religious Principles and Character, of the Society of Friends

by Thomas Clarkson

A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume 1 Taken from a View of the Education and Discipline, Social Manners, Civil and Political Economy, Religious Principles and Character, of the Society of Friends

A Portraiture of Quakerism, Volume 1 Taken from a View of the Education and Discipline, Social Manners, Civil and Political Economy, Religious Principles and Character, of the Society of Friends

by Thomas Clarkson

About the author

Born in Wisbech, England, in 1760, Thomas Clarkson became one of the most influential campaigners against the British slave trade. While studying at Cambridge, he entered an essay competition on whether it was lawful to enslave people against their will; the subject changed his life and pushed him toward public action.

Clarkson went on to help found the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1787. He traveled widely across Britain gathering evidence, interviewing sailors, and collecting tools and restraints used on slave ships so he could show the public the reality of the trade. His energy, writing, and organizing helped build the movement that led to the British Slave Trade Act of 1807.

He continued working for abolition long after that first victory, supporting efforts against slavery itself and taking part in the wider anti-slavery movement in Britain. Clarkson died in 1846, but he is still remembered as one of the movement's most determined and effective campaigners.