Wilberforce

William Wilberforce, the politician and religious writer, was instrumental in the abolition of slavery in Britain. This free course explores Wilberforce's career and writings and assesses their historical significance. In particular, it examines the contribution that Evangelicalism, the religious tradition to which Wilberforce belonged, made in the transitions between the Enlightenment and Romanticism. Throughout it relates Wilberforce's career and writings to wider social and cultural developments in Britain, with special regard for British reaction to the French Revolution.

• Introduction
• Learning outcomes
• 1 Wilberforce’s early career
• 1 Wilberforce’s early career
• 1.1 Early influences
• 1.2 Upbringing; MP for Yorkshire
• 1.3 Wilberforce’s ‘Conversion’ to Evangelicalism
• 1.4 Wilberforce in Parliament
• 2 Britain and the French Revolution
• 2 Britain and the French Revolution
• 3 Britain in the 1790s
• 3 Britain in the 1790s
• 4 Wilberforce’s A Practical View
• 4 Wilberforce’s A Practical View
• 4.1 The impact of A Practical View
• 4.2 The ‘inadequate consciousness of the real teachings of Christianity’
• 4.3 Religion and political stability
• 4.4 Political implications
• 4.5 The interaction of religion and society
• 4.6 Contemporary reactions
• 5 Wilberforce and slavery
• 5 Wilberforce and slavery
• 5.1 Leading the fight against slavery
• 5.2 Wilberforce’s anti-slavery campaign in context
• 6 Conclusion
• 6 Conclusion
• References
• Further reading
• Acknowledgements