Here’s an interesting exercise to try sometime: try creating a list of the most notable, influential historical figures of all time. Who would you include?
Whether you are religious or not, Jesus of Nazareth should certainly be a the top of the list. But who else would make the cut? Here are some likely candidates: Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare, Napoleon Bonaparte, Karl Marx, George Washington, Martin Luther, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander the Great, Albert Einstein, Adolph Hitler, Winston Churchill, and Mohammed. William Wilberforce would most likely not find his way onto such a list. In fact, many folks have never even heard of William Wilberforce. Yet Wilberforce surely deserves to be acknowledged as a towering figure in world history. He is more than anyone else responsible for the demise of worldwide slavery.
The practice of slavery is universally condemned within the modern Western world. You would be hard pressed to find anyone in America today who would not express public revulsion at the thought of owning another human being; of using and abusing someone like a piece of property. We heartily agree with the sentiments expressed in our Declaration of Independence, “We find these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
The pervasiveness of this modern perspective makes it quite easy to forget that for most of human history, the concepts of human equality and dignity were decidedly not self-evident. In fact, precisely the opposite was assumed. Before relatively recent times, it was perfectly obvious to everyone that human beings were not equal. There were some who by virtue of their strength, intelligence, ambition or simply lineage were suited to a life of nobility. Their superior qualities made them fit to exercise power and control over others. Lesser human beings who failed to exhibit such fine qualities could make their contribution through a life of servitude. Meanwhile, some unfortunate individuals could make absolutely no positive contribution to society. They were disposable. Why should any society waste precious time and resources caring for the sick, the weak, the infirm, the imbeciles?
Based upon such philosophies, slavery has been practiced and embraced throughout history. The practice of slavery was ubiquitous throughout the ancient world of Babylon, Assyria, and the other civilizations of antiquity. Historian John Steele Gordon writes, “Slaves were a major item of commerce…as much as a third of the population of the ancient world was enslaved…” Of course, we know from the Bible that the children of Israel suffered as slaves in Egypt for over 400 years. Within the Roman empire during the second century AD, the slave population has been estimated at 10 million out of a total population of 60 million.
Many in our modern society pretend that the American enslavement of blacks is an isolated blot upon human history. These revisionists suggest that human beings had always been living in harmonious unity with their fellow creatures until evil, white Europeans began to prey upon black Africans. Nothing could be further from the truth. The brute fact is that until the early 19th century, slavery thrived around the globe. It was practiced by every color of people – white, brown, black or any other color you care to mention. Indigenous tribes enslaved one another throughout the Americas well before Christopher Columbus arrived. Africans tribes subjugated one another as well. In fact, the white European slave traders most often did not directly kidnap the slaves themselves. They relied upon other Africans to acquire their victims. The Europeans would simply moor their slave ships off the coast of West Africa. European goods were then traded to the local African tribes in exchange for slaves. It was the Africans themselves who would capture their fellow black Africans and force them to march to the coast where they would be sold to the Europeans. Some African tribal leaders were even willing to sell their own people into slavery for prized European trinkets.
So the story of white Americans owning black slaves is far from exception in the grand scope of human history. Rather, it is the norm. Humans of every continent and color have been enslaving and oppressing one another since the dawn of history. And this state of affairs was believed to be perfectly natural; what could be more obvious than that the strong should impose their will upon the weak?
So how did the world make this radical change in perspective? How did we move from a pervasive embrace of slavery to the universal abhorrence of slavery – all within the last two hundred years or so? This amazing transformation largely came about because of the tireless efforts of a relatively small band of committed Christians led by a man named William Wilberforce. His story is well worth knowing, so let’s dive in and learn about the life of this remarkable character.
William Wilberforce was born in the English port city of Hull on August 24, 1759. The Wilberforce family was much respected in northern England. They were not apart of the nobility, but were quite successful nonetheless. In modern parlance, they weren’t in “the 1%,” but only one small notch down the social ladder. The Wilberforce family patriarch was William’s paternal grandfather, also named William. (There are alot of Williams in this story!) He was nicknamed “the Alderman” because of his involvement in local politics. Alderman Wilberforce was twice elected mayor of Hull, presaging his grandson’s eventual foray into the political world. The Alderman was quite a prosperous businessman. The city of Hull, along the east coast of northern England, was one of the nation’s busiest ports. Alderman Wilberforce accrued a substantial fortune exporting English goods abroad while importing timber and iron ore from the Baltic region. William’s father was named Robert. Robert followed his father (the Alderman) into the family business.
As a boy, young William attended the local grammar school in Hull. His grandfather the Alderman was keenly interested in providing his grandson with the best education possible. Being a local figure of some standing, he used his influence to have a very bright young man named Joseph Milner appointed as the school headmaster. Needing an assistant, Joseph recruited his 17 year old younger brother Isaac to help. The Milner boys were an excellent choice. They both possessed brilliant minds and were outstanding educators. Unbeknownst to the Alderman, they were also committed Christians. As we shall see, Isaac Milner would eventually have a profound effect upon the life of William Wilberforce. Thus we get an early glimpse of God’s providence in young William’s life.
Several features about young William Wilberforce stand out. He was physically very small. William was always shorter than the other kids his age, and even in adulthood he only just exceeded five feet in height. Nor did he have any girth to speak of. He was slight of frame, as if a strong wind would carry him away like an autumn leaf. His eyesight was poor. Moreover, William would struggle all his life with digestive problems. Wilberforce probably had what we now know as ulcerative colitis – a chronic, intermittent condition causing inflammation of the digestive tract. He suffered abdominal pain, diarrhea, fatigue, and weight loss. During these bouts of infirmity, Wilberforce was often described as fragile and sickly. The constraints of his illness make his achievements all the more remarkable.
Despite these limitations, William had obvious gifts as well. He was highly intelligent, curious, and amiable. Perhaps most notable was his speaking ability, which was quickly recognized at school. Isaac Milner would later recall: “Even then his elocution was so remarkable that we used to set him upon a table and make him read aloud as an example to the other boys.”
Adversity arrived early in the life of young William. When he was just 8 years old, his father died. Soon thereafter, news arrived that his older sister had perished as well while at boarding school in London. These twin tragedies rocked the Wilberforce family. For William’s mother Elizabeth, the anguish was particularly acute. She had lost both her husband and her firstborn daughter. As if this was not enough, Elizabeth was then pregnant with her daughter Ann. Understandably, William’s mother faced a wave of darkness and depression. Her situation deteriorated to the point that she became incapacitated, unable to properly care for her children. Elizabeth’s family realized they needed to intervene. A heart wrenching decision was made that young William would go to live with his Uncle William (yes, another William) and Aunt Hannah in Wimbledon, near London.
No doubt the decision to send young William to live with his aunt and uncle was a difficult one. However, it proved to be a wonderful, healing balm. His uncle and aunt were childless, and lavished love and attention upon William. They even made him their heir. William would later recall, “My aunt and uncle I loved as if they had been my parents.” Moreover, Uncle William and Aunt Hannah were devoted Christians. Many of their friends had given their loyalty to Jesus through the ministry of renowned evangelist George Whitefield. So it came about that young William was surrounded by a warm, thriving fellowship of saints. William would stay with his aunt and uncle for two years. It would be for him a time of tremendous spiritual growth.
Our next blog shall continue the story of William Wilberforce.
