British History : A Man By The Name Of William Wilberforce

focusing on the narratives of 16th-18th century white Englishmen who laid the groundwork for the

surrender our own voice, hoping to please those who will never respect anyone different from themselves.”

William was young at this time in his life, but that didn’t mean he would back down from a fight. William was already the ruler of Normandy and this, the battle of hastings would give him his second country to rule. Although he would become ruler of England he still didn’t go there much he lived in Normandy, and was a very respectable and experienced ruler, under his reign the church flourished.

William was born in 1727 over in Stratford, CT. William graduated from Yale in 1744 and a few years later he won a master of arts degree from Yale and an honorary masters from Harvard. His father wanted him to become a minister, but William wanted to go into law field. William largely learned the law by self-educating, and he had admittance into the bar. Where he launched his on practice in Stratford. In 1749 he married Anne Beach, a daughter of a local businessman. William ended up having five daughters and six sons with Anne and sadly many of their children have passed away at an early age. In 1750’s William began his public career as a militia officer in Connecticut. He served in the lower house of the colonial assembly in 1761 and 1765. After having a career there Johnson decided to work for peace between Britain and the colonies and to oppose the extremist Whig faction. In 1779 Johnson got his first rap sheet and got charged with communicating with the enemy, but he eventually cleared himself and was released. Once all the wars have subsided he went back into his political career. In the Continental Congress between 1785-87, he turn out to be the utmost popular and influential representative around. He played such a huge part in the Constitutional Convention. He adopted the Connecticut Compromise, and oversaw the committee of style, as well as he worked for ratification in Connecticut. Johnson contributed to the passage of the Judiciary Act of 1789 and took part in the new government. Although a couple years later he decided to resigned mostly because he dedicated most of his time to the presidency of Columbia college and he finally had the time and energy to establish the school on a stable basis and employed an acceptable faculty. Johnson ended up retiring from the college in 1800 and sadly a few years later his wife passed way. But that didn’t stop him he married a new lady named Mary

People have stood up for their beliefs all throughout history, and have faced many consequences for doing so. One example of a man standing up for his beliefs is in 1892 a man by the name of Homer Plessy was taken to court for challenging the Separate Car Act in Louisiana (Konkoly, “Plessy v. Ferguson”). The

"Capitalism & Slavery," (published by The University of North Carolina Press, 1994) was written by Eric Eustace Williams and first published in 1944. Eric Williams' book, was at the time of its publication, considered years ahead of its time. It should be noted, early on within this report that, literary works on the history of the Caribbean or slavery for a matter of fact, was done by Europeans. In the preface of his book, Williams clearly asserts that his work, "is not a study of the institution of slavery but of the contribution of slavery to the development of British capitalism."1 His work takes an economic view of history, which is at the

The autobiographies of Olaudah Equiano, a British slave, and Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs, American slaves, highlight the transition from the institution of British slavery pre-American Revolution to the 18th and 19th century American plantation slavery. The explicit differences between the two systems suggest unique factors that either promoted or hindered each institution. In Britain, slavery was generally driven by economic factors that relied on trained labor. Growth and expansion of slavery in the United States, however, was deeply rooted in consistent oppression and exploitation of slaves through physical and psychological abuses, which in turn gave slave owners unchecked power that ensured the perpetuation of plantation slavery.

In American history, every event and person plays a part in the future. For example, rich plantation owners helped America advance their economy. However, that would not have been at all possible without the help of their slaves. The time and institution of slavery is a time of historical remembrance. It played a primary role during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. The treatment, labor conditions, and personal stories of these slaves’ treatment and labor conditions are all widely discussed around the world to this day.

“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,” stated William Wilberforce in his, “Abolition Speech.” William Wilberforce was an English politician and he campaigned for the conclusion of slavery. One of the main aspects of slavery that he focused on was the transportation of slaves in awful conditions. Wilberforce delivered this speech at the House of Commons May 12, 1789. The purpose of this speech was to change the audience's beliefs on the slave reform.

One of the most prominent human weaknesses that is revealed when conflict arises between the individual and the collective is fear. Arthur Miller explores human weakness caused by fear in his play The Crucible through false accusations and writes about this weakness in his article “Why I Wrote The Crucible: An Artist’s Answer to Politics.” Patrick Henry also addresses fear in individuals that arise from struggles with the collective in his speech “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death (1775).” Ultimately, these texts all address the fear of being different, which drives people to match their beliefs with the beliefs of the collective, because those who do not conform to the norms of the collective receive differential and unequal treatment, thus suggesting that people who have different beliefs or practices from the majority tend to be silenced since it is difficult for them to overcome the collective’s discrimination against them.

William Wilberforce, a member of British Parliament, led a battle against Parliament to put and end to the slave trade, a brutal and inhumane business. It was not an easy feat to accomplish, lasting close to 20 years and there were many obstacles faced throughout the period. With persistence and perseverance, he and others that he worked with, were able to outlaw the slave trade of Britain. Not only did he affect his time period, but had a lasting affect on other societies, starting a movement of abolishing slavery.

When others dictate what we should think, feel and do, it eats away at our confidence. We begin to distrust our own instincts and we lose the ability to decipher what we really believe in versus what society, for example, wants us to be believe in. Although standing up for your beliefs seems difficult, the more you practice on it, the more you empower yourself. You build more confidence. Doing what you know is right takes guts; it takes guts to express an unpopular viewpoint. However, the more you tap on your guts, the more confident you become. We wouldn't be human if we didn't make the effort to step up and voice what you know is

By the time that the slave trade had been abolished in Britain and her colonies in 1807 eleven million men, women and children had been snatched from their homes. For historians understanding the factors that led to the abolition of the trade remains an important task. Whilst there is clearly a consensus on the main factors that led to this seismic and historic event there is obviously a difference in opinion on the most important due to the degree of subjectivity the question poses.

Prior to taking this class I had heard the name Wilberforce in the saying, “Don’t be a Wilberforce!”. The saying did not have a good connotation. I had no real information on the man or his importance to his times. After reading this biography I would be pleased if someone called me a “Wilberforce”. I found him to be someone worth

At this point, he is debating whether he should go into the ministry and abandon a political career altogether. His friend William Pitt tries to convince him not to, and tells Wilberforce of his magnificent plan to become prime minister and that he wants Wilberforce there with him. Pitt, still trying to convince Wilberforce to stay in Parliament brings a group of people over to Wilberforce’s house for dinner. While eating, one of the men places a set of chains on the table and begins to explain how slaves are transported in ships. A former slave, Oloudah Equiano, explains the process and shows Wilberforce the branding mark on his chest he got when he was sold. They tell Wilberforce that they need someone to help them to oppose the trade.