The Quest for the Abolition of Slavery (by Andrea)

Slave uprisings become more and more frequent

Getting out of surgery one day in 1765, Sharp saw a black man, a slave, stumbling in and trying to get surgery; he had been beaten by his owner. Sharp got him fixed up and gave him a job as a coach footman. Two years later the man's former owner got him kidnapped and jailed. Sharp fought back and had the man rescued.

Father of the Methodist movement John Wesley became the first major religious leader in Britain to denounce slavery.

Due to increased stories of atrocities committed regarding slaves and the slavery debate getting more and more publicity, more and more influential abolitionists were brought into the fight. Among them were Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce.

Thomas Clarkson travels the country to gather evidence against slavery. He comes back with many a crude tool used by the slave drivers and slave ship captains.
Josiah Wedgwood, a famous potter, designs a seal for the abolitionist movement.

Former black slaves write letters to local London newspapers thanking white abolitionists for their benevolence and work. Among them is Quobna Ottobah Cugoano, an ex-slave that published a book denouncing slavery.

Meeting in a Quaker run bookstore and consisting largely of Quakers (9 out of the 12 members were Quakers) the influential anti-slavery committee was created.

Several years of hearings before parliament and the Privy Council began in England. In this time the pro-slavery lobbyists started to get more organized, arguing that the entire plantation economy would collapse without slaves. They went so far as to argue how contented the slaves were when going overseas.

Petition signed by 10, 000 against the slave trade, an astonishing 20% of Manchester's population. By the end of 1788 more than 60, 000 British people would sign such petitions.

Along with the rise in popularity of the plight of African slaves, workers rights and women's rights became hot topics as well.