Cloud of Witnesses: William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce (1759-1833) was a British politician and philanthropist who was a leading abolitionist in the movement to end the transatlantic slave trade. He was a member of the British Parliament for over 30 years, and throughout his political career, he worked tirelessly to end the transatlantic slave trade and slavery within the British Empire. In 1807, his efforts were successful when the British Parliament passed the Slave Trade Act, which abolished the transatlantic slave trade. Wilberforce continued to work towards the abolition of slavery within the British Empire, and his efforts were successful in 1833, shortly before his death, when the Slavery Abolition Act was passed, which abolished slavery throughout the British Empire. Wilberforce's tireless efforts to end the transatlantic slave trade and slavery within the British Empire were instrumental in the eventual abolition of slavery throughout the Western world.