Thomas clarkson biography
Thomas Clarkson
English abolitionist (–)
For other people named Thomas Clarkson, see Thomas Clarkson (disambiguation).
Thomas Clarkson (28 March – 26 September ) was an English abolitionist, and a leading campaigner against the slave trade in the British Empire. He helped found the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade (also known as the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade) and helped achieve passage of the Slave Trade Act , which ended British trade in slaves.
He became a pacifist in and, with his brother John, was among the twelve founders of the Society for the Promotion of Permanent and Universal Peace.
In his later years, Clarkson campaigned for the abolition of slavery worldwide. In , he was the key speaker at the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society's first convention in London which campaigned to end slavery in other countries.
Early life and education
Clarkson was the eldest son of the Reverend John Clarkson (–), a Church of England priest and headmaster of Wisbech Grammar School, and his wife Anne née Ward (died ). He was baptised on 26 May at St Peter and St Paul's Church, Wisbech. His siblings were John (born ) and Anne. Both boys attended Wisbech Grammar School, Hill Street, where the family lived. After the death of his father, the family moved into a house on Bridge Street, which is now marked by a blue plaque. In , Thomas went on to St Paul's School in London, where he obtained an exhibition.
He entered St John's College, Cambridge, in An excellent student, he appears to have enjoyed his time at the University of Cambridge, although he was a serious, devout man. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in and was set to continue at Cambridge to follow in his father's footsteps and enter the Anglican ministry. He was ordained a deacon in but never proceeded to priest's order
Biography
Thomas Clarkson was among the foremost British campaigners against both slavery and the slave trade. He was born in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, on 28 March and educated at the grammar school there where his father, the Rev. John Clarkson, was headmaster. In , he went to St. Paul's School in London where he excelled. He went up to Cambridge in where he was an outstanding student. His awareness of slavery originated in an essay, originally written in Latin, as an entry in a Cambridge University prize competition, which it won. (In fact, Clarkson had already won a BA competition, and he wanted and became the first person to win the MA competition as well.) The question - and there was only one - was "is it lawful to make slaves of others against their will?" (Anne Liceat Invitos in Servitutem Dare?) The question was set by the vice-chancellor, Peter Peckard, a man of liberal views who later wrote two abolitionist pamphlets himself. Although Clarkson knew nothing about this subject, it engaged his curiosity and he soon discovered the works of Anthony Benezet, which became at that stage his principal source. He also asked around, and found both students and others with personal experience of slavery and the slave trade. His research paid off and, after having written the essay (and collected the prize) he translated it into English, rather hurriedly he apologetically informs us, so that it could gain a wider audience. In , the essay was published as An essay on the slavery and commerce of the human species, particularly the African, translated from a Latin Dissertation, which was honoured with the first prize in the University of Cambridge, for the year .Clarkson's Essay was immediately influential, and it soon brought him into contact with others who had published or campaigned against the slave trade, including James Ramsay and Granville Sharp. In May , Clarkson was one of the twelve men who formed the Committee for Abolition of the African Slave
ASSOCIATES
Gustavus Vassa was acquainted with a number of prominent individuals, and he probably knew others for whom there is no documentary evidence. He also referred to other individuals whom he knew, especially in London, about whom little if anything known beyond Vassa's reference. There were also several associations and affiliations that referred to groups, such as the Huntingdonians, the Black Poor, the Sons of Africa, and the London Corresponding Society. By highlighting the individuals Vassa knew or possibly knew, Vassa's world expands considerably, and the list increases exponentially with his book tours and the sale of subscriptions to his autobiography, ultimately generating hundreds of individuals who purchased at least one copy of his book. Vassa's associates are divided into seven categories: Family, Slavery, Abolition, Religion, Scientific, Military and Subscribers.
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Family
Family
Gustavus Vassa was born in in the Igbo region of the Kingdom of Benin, today southern Nigeria. He was the youngest son in a family of six sons and a daughter. He was stolen with his sister and sold into slavery at the age of Not much is known about his Igbo family, aside from what is included in his memoir. In , he married a white woman named Suzannah Cullen. The couple had two daughters, Anne Marie Vassa and Joanna Vassa. Anne Marie passed away shortly after Vassa’s death. Joanna went on to marry a congregationalist minister named Reverend Henry Bromley. The lives of his family members are detailed in this section.
Slavery
Slavery
Olaudah Equiano was kidnapped when he was about eleven or twelve and arrived in Barbados in mid During his experience as a slave before he was able to purchase his own freedom in , he was associated with a number of individuals, three of whom were his owner, a Mr. Campbell in Virginia, Captain Michael Henry Pascal, and merchant Robert King. The section also includes his two closest friends during his ens – He was born in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire 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 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 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 had agreed to bring his concerns about slavery before the House of Commons. On 22 May 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 th
Quakers in the World
Thomas Clarkson