Politician & Reformer
William Wilberforce (1759–1833)
William Wilberforce was a British Member of Parliament who devoted much of his life to the campaign against slavery, achieving the abolition of the slave trade in 1807.
The Campaign Against Slavery
Wilberforce was born in Hull in 1759 and became MP for Hull before later representing Yorkshire. After becoming deeply religious, he committed himself to the moral cause of abolishing the slave trade, which saw hundreds of thousands of Africans transported across the Atlantic in brutal conditions each year.
He introduced bills to abolish the trade in Parliament year after year, facing fierce opposition from those with economic interests in the trade. His persistence, combined with the efforts of fellow abolitionists, eventually prevailed.
Abolition of the Slave Trade
In 1807 the Slave Trade Act was passed, making it illegal to trade in enslaved people throughout the British Empire. This was a landmark moment in history, though slavery itself remained legal for a further 26 years.
Wilberforce continued to campaign for the complete abolition of slavery. The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 — which outlawed slavery across most of the British Empire — was passed just days before his death. He had lived long enough to hear that Parliament had voted for it.
Key facts for the test
- Born in Hull in 1759
- Member of Parliament who led the campaign to abolish the slave trade
- The Slave Trade Act 1807 made it illegal to trade in enslaved people in the British Empire
- The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 was passed shortly before his death
- Died in 1833
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Questions about William Wilberforce appear in the Life in the UK Test.
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