Thomas Clarkson 28 March 1760 - 26 September 1846 Thomas Clarkson was one of the main architects of the anti-slavery movement and led an extraordinary campaign against the trade. Read on to explore more about Thomas Clarkson and his life.

Early Life He attended Wisbech Grammar School and later became a student of St. John’s College Cambridge where, in 1784, he won first place in a Latin essay competition about slavery. With the help of his brother, John Clarkson, the essay was translated into English and expanded into a book. It became the first publication criticising the slave trade to reach a wide audience and it made him a minor celebrity. His publisher introduced him to other prominent figures with similar views and a committee of twelve was soon formed with Clarkson as their leader. This established the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, the first non-denominational anti-slavery organisation in Britain. The main aims of the Society were to raise public opinion and to lobby MPs to the point where Parliament would be forced to change the law.

The slave trade The 'Middle Passage', which took the slaves from Africa to the Americas, was only one stage of a highly profitable, triangular trade route. Ships loaded with European-made goods sailed to the West coast of Africa and exchanged their cargoes for slaves. These were transported, in over-crowded and horrendous conditions, across the Atlantic to be sold for luxury goods which were then brought back to Europe. Many profited from this trade, not only ship and slave owners, but also the manufacturers of the goods that were exchanged for the slaves. The legacy of this is still evident. Many of Britain's greatest institutions were created with wealth derived from slavery and the ports of Bristol and Liverpool acquired their economic importance and municipal splendour as a direct result of their involvement in the slave trade.

Capture of Slaves, from The Abolition of the Slave Trade, a Poem, in Four Parts by James Montgomery, 1814

Campaign techniques To gather evidence against the slave trade, Clarkson rode 35,000 miles, interviewd 20,000 sailors and collected many items which he kept in a specially-made chest. The chest contained many items that demonstrated the cruelty of the slave trade, such as handcuffs; leg-shackles; thumbscrews; whips and branding irons. It also contained seeds, textiles and other goods from Africa which lent support to his argument that it was better to trade in goods than people. Clarkson observed that the publication of a plan showing the inhumane way in which slaves were packed onto a slave ship influenced public opinion more than mere words alone. He quickly realised that the contents of his chest might help to reinforce the message of his anti-slavery lectures. The chest became an important part of these public meetings and is often shown in pictures of him. It is an interesting object in its own right, both as an early example of a visual aid and as a travelling museum.

Clarkson's Chest and some of its contents

Influencing public opinions Thomas Clarkson helped to develop the prototype for modern campaigns to influence public opinions. He travelled the country setting up 1,200 branches for the abolition of the slave trade and regularly corresponded with 400 people in order to create a mass anti-slavery movement. Many petitions with huge numbers of signatures were organised and presented to Parliament (519 in 1792); letters were written to local and national papers; and 300,000 people were persuaded to boycott slave-produced sugar. An important part of the campaign was the lobbying of MPs and relationships were cultivated with those who were sympathetic to the views of the abolitionists. One such MP was William Wilberforce and it was Clarkson who eventually persuaded him to become the spokesman in Parliament for the abolitionist movement. With his brilliant speeches in the House of Commons, it was Wilberforce who came to be most associated with the campaign for the abolition of slavery, but it was Clarkson who provided him with a continuous supply of evidence for the speeches. over 300K people were pursuaded to boycott slave-produced sugar over 500 petitioins were sent to Parliament in 1792 William Wilberforce An important part of the campaign was the lobbying of MPs and relationships were cultivated with those who were sympathetic to the views of the abolitionists. One such MP was William Wilberforce and it was Clarkson who eventually persuaded him to become the spokesman in Parliament for the abolitionist movement. With his brilliant speeches in the House of Commons, it was Wilberforce who came to be most associated with the campaign for the abolition of slavery, but it was Clarkson who provided him with a continuous supply of evidence for the speeches.

Josiah Wedgewood, from The Life of Josiah Wedgewood by Eliza Meteyard, 1866

Parliamentary campaign & 1807 Act abolishing the slave trade Thomas Clarkson was only one of many important figures involved in campaigning for the abolition of the slave trade. They included prominent politicians such as William Wilberforce, the MP for Hull; major manufacturers and industrialists such as Josiah Wedgwood; and leading figures from the arts including Hannah More the playwright and the poets Wordsworth, Cowper and Coleridge. Many also had strong religious beliefs and were Quakers or evangelical Christians. Some had first-hand experience of slavery. John Wesley – the founder of the Methodist church, had met slaves on plantations when preaching in Georgia. Zachary Macaulay – one of the leading members in the parliamentary campaign, had been an assistant manager on a sugar plantation in Jamaica Olaudah Equiano (Gustavus Vassa) – had actually been a slave. He leart to read and write a book, bought his freedom, became a sailor and eventually setlled in London where he wrote his autobiography. The book became a huge success and he toured England promoting both it and the abolitionist cause. He played a key role in raising public awareness about the slavery issue, but unfortunately did not live to see it abolished. Olaudah Equiano (Gustavus Vassa), painter unknown, reproduced by kind permission of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter