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William Wilberforce
1759–1833
A gifted speaker and reformer, he became one of the best-known leaders of the long campaign to end the British slave trade. His life also reflected a deep religious conviction that shaped his politics, philanthropy, and sense of duty.
4 Audiobooks
A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians, in the Middle and Higher Classes in this Country, Contrasted with Real Christianity.
by William Wilberforce
A Letter on the Abolition of the Slave Trade
by William Wilberforce
Private Papers of William Wilberforce
by William Wilberforce
Lettre à l'Empereur Alexandre sur la traite des noirs
by William Wilberforce
About the author
Born in Kingston upon Hull in 1759, William Wilberforce entered Parliament while still a young man and quickly became known for his charm, wit, and eloquence. After a profound religious conversion in the mid-1780s, he turned his energy toward moral and social reform and became closely linked with a circle of evangelical activists sometimes called the Clapham Sect.
Wilberforce is most remembered for his central role in the movement to abolish the transatlantic slave trade in the British Empire. Working with fellow campaigners such as Thomas Clarkson and Olaudah Equiano, he brought the cause repeatedly before Parliament over many years, helping build the pressure that led to the abolition of the slave trade in 1807.
He remained active in public life long after that victory, supporting other charitable and reform efforts and continuing to back the campaign against slavery itself. He died in 1833, just days before the Slavery Abolition Act was passed, and he was buried in Westminster Abbey.