Christian History Home > Issue 53 > William Wilberforce and the Abolition of the Slave Trade: A Gallery of Aristocratic Activists
William Wilberforce and the Abolition of the Slave Trade: A Gallery of Aristocratic Activists
The Clapham Sect was one of the most elite and effective bands of Christian social reformers—ever
Bruce Hindmarsh | posted 1/01/1997 12:00AM
When after much struggle and effort, the abolition bill passed in 1807, William Wilberforce said to his friend Henry Thornton, "Well, Henry, what shall we abolish next?"
The comment illustrates Wilberforce's innate optimism, but the "we" also reveals something. Though he was probably the greatest social reformer of the 1800s, he never worked alone.
When he was converted to evangelical faith in 1785, Wilberforce soon found himself at the center of a group of well-connected and well-heeled individuals. This group, called the Clapham Sect, combined their considerable talents, religious zeal, and optimism in a concerted campaign of national reform. And in large measure, they succeeded.
Here are some of the leading members and what they accomplished as individuals and as a group.
Henry Thornton
(1760-1815)Financial geniusWhenever a new cause was championed by the Clapham friends, and a society organized to carry it out, Henry Thornton was the one who gave practical business advice and financial ...
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