Paul Collison

He was DEFEATED ELEVEN TIMES. Attacked. Threatened with DEATH. Nearly blind. Addicted to opium just to function. They told him to stop. He spent forty-six years refusing. His name was William Wilberforce. Born in Hull, 1759. He could have lived a comfortable life. Wealthy family. Safe seat in Parliament. Instead he chose to destroy the most powerful economic system in the British Empire. The slave trade. He didn't fight alone. Thomas Clarkson rode 35,000 miles gathering evidence. Olaudah Equiano, man who had been enslaved himself, gave testimony that no politician could ignore. Wilberforce took their evidence to Parliament. They voted no. He came back. They voted no. He came back. Lost by eight votes. MPs deliberately stayed away so they wouldn't have to choose a side. He came back. Again. And again. And again. By now his eyesight was nearly gone. His body was breaking. He'd been on opium since he was 29. Twenty years after he started, they voted again. 283 to 16. The slave trade was abolished. But he wasn't finished. Slavery itself was still legal. He fought for another twenty-six years. In July 1833, lying in bed, barely able to move, he received word. Parliament had voted. Slavery was abolished across the entire British Empire. Three days later, William Wilberforce died. He held on just long enough. They buried him in Westminster Abbey. Help keep our stories alive. proudofus.co.uk/support Be part of us. Be Proud Of Us. 🇬🇧