Who was William Wilberforce?
Answer William Wilberforce (1759-1833) is one of the best known British abolitionists. He was a Parliamentarian, writer and social reformer. William was born in Hull in the North East of England in 1759, to a prosperous middle class family. However, his father died when he was very young and William was sent to live in Wimbledon with his aunt who was a stanch supporter of the Methodist movement. Fearing that the boy might be influenced by his aunts religion, his mother brought him back to the family home. At the age of seventeen, Wilberforce enrolled in Saint Johns College, Cambridge. There he formed a close friendship with William Pitt, who was later to become the youngest Prime Minister in British history. Wilberforce decided to enter into politics and was elected to the House of Commons in 1780. He later confessed that his primary aim had not been to do good but rather to achieve personal success. He did not involve himself with any major cause but he and William Pitt soon became po
William Wilberforce was born in 1759. An evangelical Christian and Member of Parliament, he carried on a battle against slavery for many years and finally succeeded in having it abolished throughout the British Empire. Although slavery had been abolished in Britain in 1772, it took another 61 years to eliminate slavery in the colonies. The earlier victory, led by Quakers, was due to the efforts of his friend Granville Sharp. Thomas Clarkson was another of the small group of abolitionists who fought alongside Wilberforce, and both lived to see the final victory.
Abolitionist of Slavery. Date and Place of Birth: 24th August 1759, High Street, Hull, Yorkshire, England. Family Background: Son of a wealthy merchant.His grandfather was a Baltic merchant and an Alderman of the town. Education: Hull Grammar School for two years. Then Pocklington School in Yorkshire. (Pocklington School will be running a series of events during the Wilberforce bicentenary in 2007. See website for details) St. John’s College, Cambridge University. Chronology/Biography of William Wilberforce: 1766: Went to Hull Grammar School at the age of seven. 1768: Death of his father. He was sent to London to be looked after and educated by his uncle in St James Place. He became influenced by his Aunt’s interest in the Methodist movement and John Wesley. His favourite guest Preacher at his local church was the Reverend John Newton who had once been a Captain on a slave ship but had turned to the church later. He was a fiery preacher and hymn writer (his most famous is “Amazing Grac
