Wilberforce, William (1759-1833), was a leader in the fight to abolish the slave trade and slavery in the British Empire. He was born on Aug. 24, 1759, in Hull, England. He studied at Cambridge University. In 1780, he entered Parliament and became a leading Tory, noted for his eloquence. In 1789, Wilberforce led a campaign against the British slave trade. A bill to end this trade passed in the House of Commons in 1792 but failed in the House of Lords. When such a bill finally became law in 1807, Wilberforce turned his focus to the foreign slave trade. He retired from Parliament in 1825 but continued to support the campaign against the foreign slave trade. After 1823, Wilberforce supported the emancipation of the enslaved people in the United Kingdom’s colonies. He died on July 29, 1833. On August 28, Parliament passed an act to end slavery in most British colonies.
See also Equiano, Olaudah.
