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Web rich in "Amazing Grace"
The new film "Amazing Grace" (http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/)
—titled after the famous hymn (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=894060)
—commemorates the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade on March 25, 1807. Its hero is William Wilberforce (1759-1833), a member of Parliament who was a driving force in accomplishing this legislative feat. (For the text of pertinent British legislation, visit http://www.pdavis.nl/Legislation.htm.) As one would imagine, this year is rich with bicentenary commemorations (http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/slavery/index.htm and
http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/
Museums_galleries/bicentenary_abolition_slave_trade.htm).
The hymn "Amazing Grace" was written by John Newton (1725-1807) years before his repentance for participation in the slave trade. Newton was an Anglican priest, a reformed slave trader and Wilberforce's pastor for a time during his childhood. His 1787 anti-slave trade tract helped raise public consciousness (http://dlxs.library.cornell.edu/
cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=mayantislavery;
idno=21874801;view=image;seq=1). Newton's advice to young Wilberforce to stay in public life—when he was considering entering the clergy—led Wilberforce to a long parliamentary career (1780-1825). While events, including slave rebellions, and other individuals, including former slaves, made vital contributions, Wilberforce's position in society and in Parliament, and his close friendship with William Pitt the Younger (1759-1806), with whom he attended Cambridge (http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/library
/special_collections/early_books/pix
/provenance/wilberforce/wilberforce.htm), made him a critical contributor to the struggle and other reforms. For authoritative biographies of individuals mentioned above and below, and a thematic essay on evangelicals and anti-slavery, search the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) (http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/ODNB.html).
There is a monument in Wilberforce's honor in the city of Hull (http://www.wilberforce2007.com
/index.php?/news/story/wilberforce_monument_project/) and he rests at Westminster Abbey, where he is remembered with an inscribed statue (http://www.westminster-abbey.org/library/burial/wilberforce.htm). He also is remembered through the organizations he helped to found, among them the Church Missionary Society (http://webarchive.cms-uk.org/about/history.htm), the British and Foreign Bible Society (http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/) and the Royal SPCA
(http://www.rspca.org.uk/).
For thoughtful introductions to the topic and its various aspects, visit The Economist: "Breaking the Chains" (https://www.economist.com/world/international
/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8749406), "A Contested Mantle: A New Tug of War" (https://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?
story_id=8749534) and the British Embassy's press release (http://www.britainusa.com/sections/articles_show_nt1.asp?
d=2&i=41099&L1=41002&L2=41099&L3=1&a=45836). Be sure also to visit the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/abolition/) for its probing, thoughtful contribution and search NPR (http://www.npr.org/) for information on the film and for related programming.
In an age with neither television nor radio—both of which Wilberforce might have used skillfully since he was noted for intelligence, sociability, wit and eloquence—the written word was of singular importance. Examples of his writing are the 1789 abolition speech before Parliament (http://www.brycchancarey.com/abolition/wilberforce2.htm), extracts from "A Letter on the Abolition of the Slave Trade" (1807) (http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/file.php/1582/A207_9_5.pdf) and "An Appeal to the Religion, Justice and Humanity of the Inhabitants of the British Empire" (1823) (http://dlxs.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=mayantislavery;idno
=03819005;view=image;seq=1). The five-volume "The Life of William Wilberforce" (1838) by his two sons (http://www.archive.org/details/texts) is fascinating. And don't forget the life and work of two of the other indispensable abolitionists portrayed in the film: Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797) (http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/equiano1/menu.html) and Thomas Clarkson (1760-1846) (http://oll.libertyfund.org/Home3/Author.php?recordID=0548).
Slavery remains a problem. For an introduction to contemporary slavery and more, visit the Web sites Set All Free (http://www.setallfree.net/) and The Amazing Change (http://www.theamazingchange.com/index.html).
—Charles D'Aniello, University Libraries