The Campaign Against Slavery
#SUBHEADING#Parliamentary Campaign Against Slavery#SUBHEADINGEND# The Parliamentary campaign was a long and complicated process with many politicians trying to delay the abolition bill. It was a tactical game between pro and anti-slavery groups who had to gather evidence for the lengthy parliamentary committees. In defence pro-slavery groups argued that large ports such as Liverpool and London would be ruined if the slave trade stopped. #IMAGE# Wilberforce spoke in Parliament against the Slave Trade for many years and used the Brookes slave ship model to show the inhumane conditions on board. In 1792 the House of Commons voted for a gradual abolition of the slave trade by 1796. This was later blocked by the House of Lords. Finally, in 1807, The Abolition of The Slave Trade Bill was passed in the House of Commons by 114 votes to 15. #SUBHEADING#Wider Opposition and Public Support#SUBHEADINGEND# Many people were involved in the campaign to end slavery, from enslaved Africans, ex-slaves and Members of Parliament. Previously enslaved people also wrote accounts of their experiences and spoke to the public, and the lives of Equiano and Cuguano were instrumental in bringing home the first hand suffering of the slave trade. Granville Sharp alongside Thomas Clarkson, was a founding member of the Society for the Abolition of the slave trade. Thomas Clarkson gathered evidence for the case against slavery, and compiled a chest of items showing the richness of natural and man made resources from Africa that Europe could trade with instead of taking their people as slaves. He also showed the inhumane instruments used in slavery. #SUBHEADING#Role of Women#SUBHEADINGEND# Women also played a significant role, and they fought the campaign with intellectual, social and moral arguments. They paid membership fees to anti-slavery societies and were the key promoters of the sugar boycott in the home. Women wore Wedgwood anti-slavery cameos to demonstrate their beliefs. Poetry was also used by women of all classes to support abolition, including enslaved women who opposed their slavery by resistance. #IMAGE#General public support for the campaign and growing opposition to slavery were also important. The public's refusal to buy sugar produced on plantations in the Caribbean was one of the first national boycotts in British history. It is estimated that between 300,000 and 400,000 people refused to buy sugar during the abolition campaign. #SUBHEADING#Commemorative Medallions and Ceramics#SUBHEADINGEND# Wilberforce House Museum has a large collection of commemorative medallions, many of them featuring the kneeling slave image and slogan 'Am I not a man and a brother', made famous on Josiah Wedgwood's pottery and used as a symbol of the abolition campaign. Medallions and tokens in the collection commemorate the 1807 Abolition of the Slave Trade, the 1834 Abolition of Slavery, Apprenticeship, and the 1838 Slavery emancipation. Other medals in the collections celebrate the work of the abolitionists and anti-slavery societies that fought for the campaign. The museum also has a good collection of anti-slavery related ceramics, including figures depicting characters from Uncle Tom's Cabin, and jugs and mugs with anti-slavery printed scenes and mottos.
The Brookes Ship Model and Poster
This narrative tells the story of the Brookes ship model and poster which were made to publicise abolitionists' campaign for the abolition of slavery.They were based on an actual slave ship called the 'Brookes'
William Wilberforce - the man (part 2)
Read about the impact of Wilberforce's university days and his career in politics.
William Wilberforce - the man (part 1)
Discover more about at the Wilberforce Family and William Wilberforce's early years.
Slavery Collections at Wilberforce House
Wilberforce House has many objects relating to slavery and the campaign for its abolition. The collection strengths lie in plantation records and anti-slavery material. Read on to discover more about the slavery collections at Wilberforce House.
Enslavement and Plantation Life
Read about the horrific conditions that slaves endured on board slave ships in the Middle Passage and how they were met with discipline and harsh punishment once they arrived at the plantations.
Slavery Collections
Hull Museums has many objects relating to slavery and the campaign for its abolition; including paper documents, plantation and slavery records, wedgwood medallions and anti-slavery ceramics. The museums also have collections representing the diversity of richness of West African Cultures prior to Western Slavery. This section explores the interesting and varied Slavery collections, what they can tell us about the history of Slavery and insights they can give into the horrors of the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade.
The Wilberforce Monument
William Wilberforce, MP for Yorkshire and passionate campaigner against the slave trade, was commemorated after is death with a monument paid for by public donation. But who designed it? How tall is it? And how much did it cost to buy? Read on and find out.
Moving the Wilberforce Monument in 1935
William Wilberforce's monument had become a motoring hazard by the 1930s and it needed to be moved to a new, more convenient location. Find out who moved the monument and what secrets are buried beneath...
Wilberforce Bible - Uncovering the Family Secrets
Read about the bibles that were once owned by William Wilberforce (1759-1833) and are now on display in Wilberforce House Museum.
The Freedom Centrepiece 2007
In 2006 Hull Museums commissioned silversmith Jocelyn Burton to produce a major silver centrepiece. This was part of the commemorations for the bi-centenary of the abolition of the slave trade in 2007. This will be a lasting testament to freedom and will hopefully be around for the tercentenary. The centrepiece was funded by the Alderman Rupert Alec-Smith Fund and the Wilberforce 2007 Programme.
Thomas Thompson (1754 - 1828)
Thomas Thompson was a local businessman and MP, who resided at 25 High Street, now Wilberforce House Museum, for nearly forty years. In 1770 at the age of 16 he went to work as a Clerk to William Wilberforce (senior) in what later became a branch of Wilberforce, Smith & Co Bank.
Contemporary Collections
Wilberforce House Museum has a small collection of objects in its contemporary slavery displays. These objects highlight the continual legacy of slavery and also explore the issue of human rights. They provide the visitor with a view of modern Africa today
