Thomas Clarkson,

BACKGROUND INFO
(Born March 28, 1760, Wisbech, Cambridge shire, Eng.-died Sept. 26,
1846, Ipswich, Suffolk),
Abolitionist,

He was born in Wisbech, Cambridge shire into the family of the

Reverend John Clarkson, headmaster of the free grammar school that
Thomas was later to attend. He was a scholarship student at St John’s
College Cambridge. After graduating with a degree in mathematics he
remained at Cambridge to prepare himself to be a clergyman. In 1784 he
won a university Latin essay prize and decided to try to repeat his
achievement in the following year. The essay topic was ‘Anne liceat
invitos in servitutem dare’ ‘Is it lawful to enslave the unconsenting?’
Researching for and writing this essay was to change his life. One of the
books that he read was Anthony Benezet’s “Historical Account of
Guinea”. He was deeply shocked by what he read. Although he won the
essay prize it seemed to be of little value beside the plight of the slaves.
He decided to relinquish his aspirations of a career in the church.

He was introduced to the anti-slavery movement by a Quaker. They had

been working within this movement for a number of years both in
Britain and in America. It was they who helped to publish a translation
of his essay, which was brought out by the Quaker bookseller James
Phillips in 1786. He and Clarkson worked closely together. The
pamphlet was entitled “An Essay of the Slavery and Commerce of the
Human Species, Particularly the African”. Clarkson’s essay was a great
success and led to the creation of an informal committee to lobby MPs.
Through Thomas Clarkson, William Wilberforce was recruited to the
cause and by 1787 had agreed to bring his concerns about slavery before
the House of Commons. On 22 May 1787 the Committee for the
Abolition of the Slave Trade was formally established. Nine of the
original twelve members were Quakers and five went on to play a
central role. The committee voted that the slave trade was unjust and
impolitic. Clarkson concentrated his efforts on these two themes.
He visited Bristol and Liverpool as they were the two main slaving
ports, and also Manchester, Bath, Gloucester, Worcester, Chester,
Lancaster and Birmingham. He received enthusiastic assistance from the
Quakers, anti-slavery societies were started and most important of all,
boroughs began to petition parliament for the abolition of the slave
trade. Clarkson was given the task of collecting evidence to support the
abolition of the slave trade. He faced considerable opposition from the
supporters of the trade. Slave traders were a wealthy and influential
group. Their trade produced prosperity and wealth and was legitimate at
that time. In Liverpool he was set upon by a gang of sailors who had
been paid to assassinate him and was fortunate to escape alive. In that
year he published the pamphlet: "A Summary View of the Slave Trade
and of the Probable Consequences of Its Abolition". Clarkson’s work
with the Quakers affected his religion and by 1795 he had renounced his
Anglican orders although he never became a Quaker. In 1815 he told
Tsar Alexander the he was ‘nine parts in ten of their way of thinking’.
He published a “Portraiture of Quakerism” which was very successful
and in 1813 a biography of William Penn, which was less so.

He continued to work for the abolition of slavery in the British Empire

which came in 1833 when the act was passed. He died on 26th
September 1846. He was not immediately commemorated in
Westminster Abbey, which as a leading abolitionist was surprising. It is
said that this was out of consideration for the susceptibilities of his
Quaker friends. A large memorial was erected in 1880 at Wisbech. In
1996 a tablet was placed in Westminster Abbey close to the Wilberforce
monument.

Biodata
His name is Thomas Clarkson; he was born on the twenty-eighth of
March in the year 1760 he later came to his death on the twenty-sixth of
September in the year 1846 at the age of 86. He was also born in
Wisbech, Cambridge shire, England and the place of death was Ipswich,
Suffolk.

Achievements
He had gotten a scholarship at St John’s College Cambridge where he
became a student there. Even though he came out of school with a
degree in mathematics he chose to stay in Cambridge in order to prepare
himself to become a clergyman. Clarkson won and university Latin
essay prize in the year 1784 and he tried to repeat the achievement the
following year.
Contribution to the British Empire
The pamphlet that was entitled by
“an Essay of the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species,
Particularly the African”.
….was brought out by James Phillips whom was a bookseller in the year
1786. Later, Clarkson succeeded with his essay with this he contributed
to the creation of the informal committee to lobby MPs. William
Wilberforce was recruited by Clarkson in this slavery abolishment and
by the year 1787 he had agreed to bring the concern about the slavery to
the House of Commons. On the twenty-second of May in the year, 1787,
the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was formally
established.
While they collected petition for the slavery abolishment, Clarkson was
placed in charge of gathering the evidence which was needed to back up
their claim to end slave trade. He faced much opposition from the slave
traders whom were from very wealthy and stable groups.

Groups