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 1785, with Additions

Name: 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 1785, with Additions
Author: Thomas Clarkson

By Thomas Clarkson

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About This Book

A systematic, evidence-driven case against the enslavement and commercial trade in African people, combining moral argument, historical survey, eyewitness testimony, and economic analysis. The author traces earlier opponents, documents abuses and suffering inflicted by the trade, assesses legal and commercial practices that sustain it, describes reforms and manumission experiments (especially by religious groups) and their economic effects, and urges legislative and public action toward abolition. Appendices and additions supply further documentary evidence and calculations to support the central claim that slavery is unjust and avoidable.

About the Author

Thomas Clarkson

Thomas Clarkson was an English abolitionist and a prominent advocate for the end of the transatlantic slave trade. Born in 1760, he became a leading figure in the movement against slavery, utilizing his writings to raise awareness and mobilize public opinion. His notable works include "An Essay on the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species," which was awarded the first prize at Cambridge University, and the comprehensive "The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave Trade by the British Parliament." Clarkson's efforts were instrumental in the eventual passage of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 1807, marking a significant milestone in the fight for human rights.