william wilberforce abolition speech meaning
The slaves who are sometimes described as rejoicing at their captivity, are so wrung with misery at leaving their country, that it is the constant practice to set sail at night, lest they should be sensible of their departure. One would think it had been determined to heap upon them all the varieties of bodily pain, for the purpose of blunting the feelings of the mind; and yet, in this very point (to show the power of human prejudice) the situation of the slaves has been described by Mr. Norris, one of the Liverpool delegates, in a manner which, I am sure will convince the House how interest can draw a film across the eyes, so thick, that total blindness could do no more; and how it is our duty therefore to trust not to the reasonings of interested men, or to their way of colouring a transaction. Introduction William Wilberforce ©. I shall be able to justify upon the clearest principles, every resolution in my hand. Again, Wilberforce brings up the ruthless physical exploitation of enslaved Africans treated with extreme cruelty aboard slave ships bound for the Americas. Wilberforce, William (1807), A Letter on the Abolition of the Slave Trade, Addressed to the Freeholders of Yorkshire, London: T. Cadell and W. Davies, J. Hatchard Wilberforce, William (1823), An Appeal to the Religion, Justice, and Humanity of the Inhabitants of the British Empire in behalf of the Negro slaves in the West Indies , London: J. Hatchard and Son Sir. To Thomas Jefferson from William Wilberforce, 5 September 1808. The Art of Manliness participates in affiliate marketing programs, which means we get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links. Mr. Wilberforce now rose and said: When I consider the magnitude of the subject which I am to bring It had been more fair, perhaps, if he had explained that word promoted. and this among negroes who are not bought unless (as the phrase is with cattle) they are sound in wind and limb. Copyright © 2016. 20 Dec. 2019. December 20, 2019. By exerting extreme physical cruelty, slave-traders tried to break the human spirit and reduce enslaved persons to chattel, animals, possessions. This is evidence that the "passions" of those who are listening are being addressed, since the issue is so far beyond mere "reason," that it cannot be discussed in a purely matter-of-fact way.
. How can we bear to think of such a scene as this? William Wilberforce Abolition Speech Analysis. During this time that war broke out with France and the French Revolution took place. This can be interpreted in either one of two ways: that the topic of chattel slavery is one in which reason and emotion are so thoroughly entwined that they cannot be distinguished from one another, or that Wilberforce believes that morality and reason are one and the same. We are all guilty-we ought all to plead guilty, and not to exculpate ourselves by throwing the blame on others; and I therefore deprecate every kind of reflection against the various descriptions of people who are more immediately involved in this wretched business. A trade founded in iniquity, and carried on as this was, must be abolished, let the policy be what it might,-let the consequences be what they would, I from this time determined that I would never rest till I had effected its abolition. After breakfast they have water to wash themselves, while their apartments are perfumed with frankincense and lime-juice. I will not accuse the Liverpool merchants: I will allow them, nay, I will believe them to be men of humanity; and I will therefore believe, if it were not for the enormous magnitude and extent of the evil which distracts their attention from individual cases, and makes them think generally, and therefore less feelingly on the subject, they would never have persisted in the trade. He maintains that if either the British merchants who are trading their goods for humans or the African merchants who are receiving them could actually see what happens afterward, they would have no choice but to concede that such actions are egregious. It is the root of childlike, self-forgetting joy in Christ. Nay, indeed, what need is there of any evidence? This is Wilberforce's only use of figurative language, but it is a very powerful metaphor. William Wilberforce (1759-1833) campaigned for the abolition of the British slave trade.He was an MP, a Christian writer and a social reformer. Rather, he mentions his natural human fears that he might not be up to a task so great and so important for the future of humanity. 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Stench, disease, and everything that seems against human health and well-being is characteristic of conditions aboard slave ships. Instead of placing the blame on others, he accepts partial responsibility himself. Retrieved March 8, 2021, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/William-Wilberforces-Abolition-Speech/. It follows the full text transcript of William Wilberforce's speech on abolition of the slave trade, including his 12 resolutions, delivered before the House of Commons in London - May 12, 1789. bring before the House, a subject in which the interests, not of this country nor of Europe alone, but of the whole world and of posterity are involved, and when I think at the same time on the weakness of the advocate who has … Wilberforce does a good job of attacking the arguments of those opposed to him versus attacking the people themselves. This is the first instance in which it seems that, even though Wilberforce has stated that his argument will be based on "reason," he will describe the conditions aboard slave ships in terms that will appeal to the very humanity of those listening. On … When It is far beyond what any of those listening can even imagine. I verily believe therefore, if the wretchedness of any one of the many hundred Negroes stowed in each ship could be brought before their view, and remain within the sight of the African Merchant, that there is no one among them whose heart would bear it. From the 16th to the 19th centuries, an estimated 17 million Africans were forcibly removed from their native lands and sold as slaves to work in European colonies. It would, perhaps, be easy for Wilberforce to place the greatest culpability on others, those who actually transport enslaved Africans to the Americas. Wednesday, May 13, 1789 Mr. WILBERFORCE then called the attention of the House to what he was about to propose. Wilberforce focuses on the true scope of the problem. This rhetorical technique is quite effective, helping readers (or listeners) see Wilberforce as a man on a mission, not to bring glory to himself, but because he truly believes that the slave trade is a great evil that must be ended. 1. a subject, in which the interests, not of this country, nor of Europe alone, but of the whole world, and of posterity, are involved. This is a remark about the way that slave-traders sought to "dehumanize" their cargo. In his speeches on abolition, Wilberforce had claimed that ending the slave trade would encourage slave-owners to treat enslaved persons better, to reduce mortality rates and increase birth rates, thereby reforming slavery through abolition. When I consider the magnitude of the subject which I am to bring before the House-a subject, in which the interests, not of this country, nor of Europe alone, but of the whole world, and of posterity, are involved: and when I think, at the same time, on the weakness of the advocate who has undertaken this great cause-when these reflections press upon my mind, it is impossible for me not to feel both terrified and concerned at my own inadequacy to such a task. As soon as ever I had arrived thus far in my investigation of the slave trade, I confess to you sir, so enormous so dreadful, so irremediable did its wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for the abolition. We are all guilty—we ought to all plead guilty, and not to exculpate ourselves by throwing the blame on others. Without this interest, it is quite clear that the only viable option is complete abolition. Wilberforce deployed, as Carey noted, the gentler language of 18th-c. sensibility (emphasis on feelings, intuition, and the senses) and moral philosophy without the “fulminations” of the evangelical. Wilberforce educated himself on its evils and gave his first parliamentary speech in May 1789, a three-and-a-half-hour marathon. “Abolition Speech” By William Wilberforce. He said that he rose with a confession of what operated in his mind relative to the abolition of the Slave Trade. William Wilberforce was a member of a committee that worked towards the abolition of the slave trade and the eventual emancipation of slavery. This interpretation is also consistent with some historical interpretations that argue that African merchants, who traded humans for European goods, did not have a true understanding of the nature of slavery in the Americas. So much misery condensed in so little room, is more than the human imagination had ever before conceived. perish in the passage. Abraham Lincoln acknowledged Wilberforce’s significant role in abolition. What will the House think when, by the concurring testimony of other witnesses, the true history is laid open. "William Wilberforce's Abolition Speech Study Guide." His efforts led to the rescinding of the practice in the British West Indies in 1807 and its total abolition in 1833. He is, at this point anyway, unconcerned with the broader "trickle down" impacts of the abolition of the slave trade or how they might impact the British citizenry. Wilberforce does not present himself as an expert on the subject of the slave trade necessarily, nor a capable leader who will single-handedly bring an end to the slave trade. Wilberforce 's first motion for a committee of the whole House upon the question was made on the 19th of March 1789, and this committee proceeded to business on the 12th of May of the same year. Then on July 26 of that year a frail Wilberforce was told of government concessions that guaranteed the passing of a Bill for the Abolition of Slavery. “Their apartments,” says Mr. Norris, “are fitted up as much for their advantage as circumstances will admit. William Wilberforce's 1789 Abolition Speech This document details one of two accounts of William Wilberforce's famous Abolition speech, delivered in the House of Commons on Tuesday 12 May 1789. 8 Mar. Course Hero, "William Wilberforce's Abolition Speech Study Guide," December 20, 2019, accessed March 8, 2021, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/William-Wilberforces-Abolition-Speech/. Wilberforce says that his focus will be on a well-developed argument that does not tug at the heart strings. The song and the dance, says Mr. Norris, are promoted. I mean not to accuse any one, but to take the shame upon myself, in common, indeed, with the whole parliament of Great Britain, for having suffered this horrid trade to be carried on under their authority. This quote is perhaps the best evidence that Wilberforce is indeed attempting to appeal to the "passions" of those listening. I will not accuse the Liverpool merchants: I will allow them, nay, I will believe them to be men of humanity. How then can the House refuse its belief to the multiplied testimonies before the privy council, of the savage treatment of the negroes in the middle passage? Below are the famous speeches of William Wilberforce given during his life time. Here Wilberforce is placing his arguments in the context of not just Great Britain and not just Europe, but of the interests of all of humanity. The number of deaths speaks for itself, and makes all such enquiry superfluous. Wilberforce firmly believes that if they were to see the conditions aboard these ships firsthand, they would have no choice but to concur with his assertions. “William Wilberforce is proof that a man can change his times, though he cannot do it alone” (William Wilberforce, 88). On 12 May 1789 William Wilberforce, MP for Hull, gave his first key speech on the abolition of the slave trade. “The men play and sing, while the women and girls make fanciful ornaments with beads, which they are plentifully supplied with.” Such is the sort of strain in which the Liverpool delegates, and particularly Mr. Norris, gave evidence before the privy council. Course Hero. Wilberforce, a longtime opponent to slavery through his life experiences with many enslaved people in England, came to deliver his famous speech before the … Wilberforce makes clear that this is not at all acceptable. One third more die in the seasoning, and this in a country exactly like their own, where they are healthy and happy as some of the evidences would pretend. So much misery condensed in so little room, is more than the human imagination had ever before conceived. It will be found, upon an average of all the ships of which evidence has been given at the privy council, that exclusive of those who perish before they sail, not less than 12½ per cent. Here Wilberforce is placing his arguments in the context of not just Great Britain and not just Europe, but of the interests of all of humanity. 301 licensed writers online. The truth is, that for the sake of exercise, these miserable wretches, loaded with chains, oppressed with disease and wretchedness, are forced to dance by the terror of the lash, and sometimes by the actual use of it. Two years later in parliament, he gave his most remembered speech, known simply as “Abolition Speech.”. As to their singing, what shall we say when we are told that their songs are songs of lamentation upon their departure which, while they sing, are always in tears, insomuch that one captain (more humane as I should conceive him, therefore, than the rest) threatened one of the women with a flogging, because the mournfulness of her song was too painful for his feelings. The good news was not enough to trigger a … However, he refrains from doing this. I therefore deprecate every kind of reflection against the various descriptions of people who are more immediately involved in this wretched business. Besides these, the Jamaica report tells you, that not less than 4½ per cent. “I have proved that, upon very ground, total abolition [of the trade] ought to take place,” he told Parliament. Wilberforce is clear that upon his own investigation of the slave trade, the economic or political consequences are of no matter. Upload them to earn free Course Hero access! These individuals are being robbed of their very humanity. On October 28, 1787, the young English politician, William Wilberforce, wrote in his journal, “God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the Slave Trade and the Reformation of Manners.”. (2019, December 20). Rather, he takes a stance that all of Parliament is culpable, himself included. Web. Wilberforce, it seems, has made an "investigation" of the slave trade and his eyes, unobscured by the film of those with a financial interest, are seeing things clearly: the slave trade is a wicked enterprise. If none of the other descriptions that Wilberforce has thus far used have worked to convince those listening, the hope is that this will. It took almost thirty years from the day of that speech before abolition of the slave trade finally passed. Before dinner, they are amused after the manner of their country. Let any one imagine to himself 6 or 700 of these wretches chained two and two, surrounded with every object that is nauseous and disgusting, diseased, and struggling under every kind of wretchedness! If they had, based on some of these interpretations, they might not have been willing to participate in the trade. He does not present himself to be morally superior to those who disagree with him, but rather recognizes that all who have allowed this injustice to continue are responsible for its continued existence, himself included. Course Hero. A trade founded in iniquity, and carried on as this was, must be abolished, let the policy be what it might,-let the consequences be what they would, I from this time determined that I would never rest till I had effected its abolition. against slavery, Wilberforce gives his stirring speech on the abolition of the slave trade to the House of Commons. But there is a deeper root of Wilberforce’s endurance than camaraderie. It is fitting that Wilberforce should emphasize the gravity of the issue. “If to be feelingly alive to the sufferings of my fellow-creatures is to be a fanatic, I am one of the … They have several meals a day; some of their own country provisions, with the best sauces of African cookery; and by way of variety, another meal of pulse, &c. according to European taste. William Wilberforce, the famous British parliamentarian, helped lead a grueling but bipartisan twenty-year struggle to outlaw the trading of slaves. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. He is asking them to imagine themselves in the place of the enslaved. Though the speech won few votes, its message propelled abolition to eventual victory throughout the Empire and, indirectly, in the United States. It is one that involves all of humanity, both those currently alive and those yet to be born. Wilberforce tells listeners at the very outset that he will not just call for end to the slave trade without a well-thought out argument. In this remark, Wilberforce is not only focused on the Liverpool merchants but also on the African merchants. a subject, in which the interests, not of this country, nor of Europe alone, but of the whole world, and of posterity, are involved. Upon the whole, however, here is a mortality of about 50 per cent. Course Hero is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university. 1789 Abolition Speech by William Wilberforce Essay. As soon as ever I had arrived thus far in my investigation of the slave trade, I confess to you sir, so enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did its wickedness appear that in my own mind was completely made up for the abolition. If the wretchedness of any one of the many hundred Negroes stowed in each ship could be brought before their view, and remain within the sight of the African Merchant, that there is no one among them whose heart would bear it. “I,” says one of the other evidences, “was employed to dance the men, while another person danced the women.” Such, then is the meaning of the word promoted; and it may be observed too, with respect to food, that an instrument is sometimes carried out, in order to force them to eat which is the same sort of proof how much they enjoy themselves in that instance also. Wilberforce’s rhetorical tools Introduction. In order, however, not to trust too much to any sort of description, I will call the attention of the House to one species of evidence which is absolutely infallible. In a speech to the British Parliament in May 1789, William Wilberforce gave an impassioned account on why the trade needed to cease and was morally reprehensible. Having now disposed of the first part of this subject, I must speak of the transit of the slaves in the West Indies. Courage. We only recommend products we genuinely like, and purchases made through our links support our mission and the free content we publish here on AoM. 18 November 2014. The pulse which Mr. Norris talks of are horse beans; and the scantiness, both of water and provision, was suggested by the very legislature of Jamaica in the report of their committee, to be a subject that called for the interference of parliament. The right ancle of one, indeed is connected with the left ancle of another by a small iron fetter, and if they are turbulent, by another on their wrists. Download a PDF to print or study offline. From The Morning Star, 78 (Wednesday 13 May 1789) Mr. WILBERFORCE then called the attention of the House to what he was about to propose. This I confess, in my own opinion, is the most wretched part of the whole subject. The diseases, however, which they contract on shipboard, the astringent washes which are to hide their wounds, and the mischievous tricks used to make them up for sale, are, as the Jamaica report says, (a most precious and valuable report, which I shall often have to advert to) one principle cause of this mortality. Abolition Speech – 1789 Horrors Of The Slave Trade - 12 May 1789. When I consider the magnitude of the subject which I … This strengthens Wilberforce's argument. He said that he rose with a confession of what operated in his mind relative to the abolition of the Slave Trade. {1} Nelson Mandela, Political attention was diverted away from the abolition of the slave trade, but Wilberforce … It is not their passions I shall appeal to—I ask only for their cool and impartial reason. East Bourn, Sussex Sept 1808. die on shore before the day of sale, which is only a week or two from the time of landing. Let any one imagine to himself 6 or 700 of these wretches chained two and two, surrounded with every object that is nauseous and disgusting, diseased, and struggling under every kind of wretchedness. Mr. Wilberforce now rose and said:! ! While it was the Portuguese, and not the British, who were the most prolific slave-traders, British merchants are producing the goods that are used to trade for these slaves, making them (and all in the nation) just as responsible. Wilberforce has no vested interest in the slave trade it would seem. Death, at least, is a sure ground of evidence, and the proportion of deaths will not only confirm, but if possible will even aggravate our suspicion of their misery in the transit. This remark further serves to drive home the point that it is only special interest that obscures the actual situation. I wish exceedingly, in the outset, to guard both myself and the House from entering into the subject with any sort of passion. William Wilberforce. Let the policy be what it might,—let the consequences be what they would, I from this time determined that I would never rest till I had effected its abolition. The slave trade is a black mark on Western history, and it can come as somewhat of a shock that it wasn’t until the early 19th century that slavery was abolished in Britain. 2021. Accessed March 8, 2021. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/William-Wilberforces-Abolition-Speech/. Declared the “country’s most influential conservative Christian thinker” by the New York Times, Professor Robert P. George is the recipient of the 2015 William Wilberforce Award.