William Wilberforce Biography

William Wilberforce Biography

By: AC773

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William Wilberforce has been looked upon by history as the greatest slavery abolitionist. Wilberforce eventually brought reform to British government with regard to slavery, while being the chief cause of the trade’s destruction. Looked at will be Wilberforce’s early childhood years, youth, life in politics, and what he sought to destroy, or, his great objects. Lastly, intermingled within the subsequent articles will be those who greatly influenced Wilberforce in his life.

During the year of 1759, William Wilberforce was born to wealthy family in Yorkshire, England. As a young child, William Wilberforce was ill and weak. Despite his frail constitution, William was moved to live with his aunt after the death of his father. She was an evangelical Christian, and was close friends with men such as George Whitefield, and John Newton. Although young William was openly exposed to the theological beliefs of his aunt’s peers, he refused to believe the teachings of the Bible and continued to reject its doctrine. When William’s parents discovered how “overly zealous” his aunt was, in the religious realm, he was soon removed from her.

Several years later, during 1776, William found himself studying at the University of Cambridge. He was a youthful and charming lad of seventeen, who, after the death of several wealthy relatives, gained a great influx of wealth, and soon took to drinking and gambling. It was also during young Wilberforce’s university years that he met the first of his influential friends, William Pitt. Pitt greatly influenced Wilberforce to enter a career pertaining to politics. Wilberforce soon became interested in politics, and started to campaign around his town, and eventually became the MP for it. William Wilberforce was definitely called, by God, to the British Parliament; for a definite reason. He was...