yr9_Thomas_Clarkson

**THOMAS CLARKSON**

 * i am Thomas Clarkson**

My Name: Thomas Clarkson My Date of birth: on 28 March 1760. I was the son of Rev. John Clarkson (1710–1766) I received his BA degree in 1783 and iwas set to continue at Cambridge with the intention of following my father’s footsteps and entering the church. He was, in fact, ordained deacon but i never proceeded to priest's orders because i didnt want to.And it was when i was in cambridge that i discoverd the horror of the slave trade.
 * Here are some Key details about my life.**

I wrote many of the most award winning influential essay's about the slave trade which influenced such people as william willberforce and granville sharp. I was influenced by a latin essay competition which i found out about the horrible truth.He won the competition as well as many others and did these things.
 * I helped to abolish the slave trade in these ways**

I went round England for 2 years showing everyone the cruel tools they used to torture the slaves and collecting infomation. I continued to write against the slave trade, filling my works with the descriptions i had heard first hand from sailors, surgeons and others who had been themselves involved in the traffic, such as the account of a sailor who had served aboard a slave-ship, which i got published in 1789 as //An Essay on the Slave Trade//.

AND I went round england to all the slave ports finding information and petitions and giving them to William Wilberforce. who read them to the parliament.and he went round england showing his evidence and supplying the committee's evidence.

His essay's.

My //Essay// was immediately influential, and it soon brought him into contact with others who had published or campaigned against the slave trade, including William Wilberforce and Granville Sharp who he influenced.The essay i wrote called //Essay on the Impolicy of the African Slave Trade// was the skeleton, for William Wilberforce at the house of commons.my works provided a firm basis for the first abolitionist speech of William Wilberforce in the House of Commons on 12 May 1789, and the twelve propositions which it contained.

//The memorial made for me in Wisbech//



What I Also did

After the passage of the Slave trade act in 1807 his efforts were mainly directed towards ensuring the enforcement of the act and seeking to further the campaign in the rest of Europe. He travelled to Paris in 1814 and Aix-la-Chapelle in 1818, with the aim of arriving at an internationally-agreed timetable for abolition. i covered 10,000 miles, activating the vast network of anti-slavery societies which had been formed. This resulted in 777 petitions being delivered to parliament demanding the total emancipation of slaves. When the society finally adopted a policy of immediate emancipation, I and Wilberforce appeared together for the last time to lend their support.

Although with my eyesight failing, I continued to campaign for the abolition of slavery, focussing on abolition in the United States.and i went to many conventions in 1840 and I helped America abolish the slave trade. THATS 3 COUNTRIES ENGLAND FRANCE AND AMERICA!

My good freind William Wordsworth t was so impressed with my achievements that he wrote this sonnet to me. //Clarkson! it was an obstinate Hill to climb:////How toilsome, nay how dire it was, by Thee////Is known,—by none, perhaps, so feelingly;////But Thou, who, starting in thy fervent prime,////Didst first lead forth this pilgrimage sublime,////Hast heard the constant Voice its charge repeat,////Which, out of thy young heart’s oracular seat,////First roused thee.—O true yoke-fellow of Time////With unabating effort, see, the palm////Is won, and by all Nations shall be worn!////The bloody Writing is for ever torn,////And Thou henceforth wilt have a good Man’s calm,////A great Man’s happiness; thy zeal shall find////Repose at length, firm Friend of human kind!//William Wordsworth

**Without me with out me the slave trade wouldn't of been banned.for these reasons:**

William Wilberforce was influeced by me, And all his information was from me searching round the country.and i told William what to say for his speeches .to be honest William Wilberforce was persuaded to join by me and his information and talks are basically just my work so all he's doing is reading of a piece of paper.

AND I Encouraged by publication of Clarkson’s essay, an informal committee was set up between a small group from the petitioning Quakers,This was to lead, in May 1787, to the foundation of the committee for the Abolition of the slave Trade. The Committee included Granville Sharp as Chairman and Josiah Wedgewood as well as Clarkson himself. without Clarkson this committee wouldn't be here.And that was how Granville sharp got noticed.also Clarkson got William Wilberforce to join. And when the Committee was founded, he was attacked and nearly killed by a gang of sailors who had been paid to assassinate him. He only just escaped with his life.That proves what a valuable member he was.

Without me the slave trade probably would be still live and going today.I influenced most if not all of the slave trade abolisher's and found most of the infoRmation.Also without me Oladah Equiano would not be known one of the main slave traders. I AM THE MAIN SLAVE TRADE ABOLISHER.

By Thomas Clarkson ( Tom Mclean)