- Title Pages
- Dedication
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 A Selection of Hymns
- 2 Biography of a Moravian
- 3 Justice for the Punishment of Sin
- 4 George Whitefield’s Signature Sermon
- 5 Calvinism under Fire
- 6 The Conversion of a Welshman
- 7 A Selection of Hymns
- 8 A Divisive Great Awakening Sermon
- 9 Revivals as a Means of Reform
- 10 Diary of Doubts
- 11 Racing to Hear Whitefield Preach
- 12 Revival at Cambuslang, Scotland
- 13 Overcome by the Power of the Spirit
- 14 Revival at Kilsyth, Scotland
- 15 Jonathan Edwards Assesses a Revival
- 16 Piety over Worldly Pleasures
- 17 Satan’s Strategies of Deception
- 18 Spiritual Devotions for the Soul
- 19 A Conversion Story
- 20 A Missionary among Native Americans
- 21 A Selection of Hymns
- 22 Summarizing God’s Law
- 23 Revival in the Low Countries
- 24 Satirical Revenge
- 25 Natural versus Moral Necessity in the Will
- 26 Open Letter to Commit Oneself to God
- 27 The Humiliation and Exaltation of the Cross
- 28 Determining Divine Grace
- 29 Eloquent Calvinism
- 30 Life as the Wife of a College President
- 31 Report on African American Religion in Virginia
- 32 Praising the Ineffable
- 33 Before Dartmouth College
- 34 The Difference between True and False Religion
- 35 Salvation at Sea
- 36 An Anglican Minister Describes Faith
- 37 Faith Restricted to the Mind
- 38 Advice to Women on Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience
- 39 Defending the Doctrine of Christian Perfection
- 40 A Selection of Hymns
- 41 Advice on Alcohol
- 42 An Argument for the Separation of Church and State
- 43 A Selection of Poems
- 44 Practical Disinterested Benevolence
- 45 Amazing Grace (How Sweet the Sound)
- 46 A Baptist’s Beliefs
- 47 A Gospel Call to Sinners
- 48 The Duty to Respond to the Gospel Message
- 49 The Ideal Student
- 50 The Unlawfulness of Enslaving Humans
- 51 An Appeal to the Higher Ranks of Society
- 52 Salvation Comes to a Sailor
- 53 Journal of an American Methodist
- 54 Guidelines for American Methodists
- 55 An Argument for Overseas Missionary Work
- 56 The Necessity of Evil
- 57 Godly Living in a New England Town
- 58 Debunking Racial Stereotypes
- 59 An Anglican Evangelical’s Sermon
- 60 True and False Religion Exposed
- 61 Godly Government during a Time of Crisis
- 62 A Conspiracy Theorist’s Theory
- Further Reading
The Unlawfulness of Enslaving Humans
The Unlawfulness of Enslaving Humans
- Chapter:
- (p.322) 50 The Unlawfulness of Enslaving Humans
- Source:
- Early Evangelicalism
- Author(s):
Thomas Clarkson
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This chapter presents excerpts from Thomas Clarkson's An Essay on the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species, Particularly the African (1786). In 1785, Clarkson won the Latin prize for an essay writing competition that tackled the topic: “Is it lawful to enslave the unconsenting?” To answer the proposed question, Clarkson studied the Atlantic slave trade, reading books on the subject such as the Quaker Anthony Benezet's Historical Account of Guinea (1771). Clarkson's research for this essay changed the course of his life. After winning the competition, Clarkson experienced conversion, gave up his quest to become a clergyman, and dedicated his life to ending the slave trade. His Essay on the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species significantly led to a formal anti-slavery lobbying committee spearheaded by William Wilberforce.
Keywords: slavery, Thomas Clarkson, essay, slave trade, Anthony Benezet, Historical Account of Guinea, conversion, William Wilberforce
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- Title Pages
- Dedication
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 A Selection of Hymns
- 2 Biography of a Moravian
- 3 Justice for the Punishment of Sin
- 4 George Whitefield’s Signature Sermon
- 5 Calvinism under Fire
- 6 The Conversion of a Welshman
- 7 A Selection of Hymns
- 8 A Divisive Great Awakening Sermon
- 9 Revivals as a Means of Reform
- 10 Diary of Doubts
- 11 Racing to Hear Whitefield Preach
- 12 Revival at Cambuslang, Scotland
- 13 Overcome by the Power of the Spirit
- 14 Revival at Kilsyth, Scotland
- 15 Jonathan Edwards Assesses a Revival
- 16 Piety over Worldly Pleasures
- 17 Satan’s Strategies of Deception
- 18 Spiritual Devotions for the Soul
- 19 A Conversion Story
- 20 A Missionary among Native Americans
- 21 A Selection of Hymns
- 22 Summarizing God’s Law
- 23 Revival in the Low Countries
- 24 Satirical Revenge
- 25 Natural versus Moral Necessity in the Will
- 26 Open Letter to Commit Oneself to God
- 27 The Humiliation and Exaltation of the Cross
- 28 Determining Divine Grace
- 29 Eloquent Calvinism
- 30 Life as the Wife of a College President
- 31 Report on African American Religion in Virginia
- 32 Praising the Ineffable
- 33 Before Dartmouth College
- 34 The Difference between True and False Religion
- 35 Salvation at Sea
- 36 An Anglican Minister Describes Faith
- 37 Faith Restricted to the Mind
- 38 Advice to Women on Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience
- 39 Defending the Doctrine of Christian Perfection
- 40 A Selection of Hymns
- 41 Advice on Alcohol
- 42 An Argument for the Separation of Church and State
- 43 A Selection of Poems
- 44 Practical Disinterested Benevolence
- 45 Amazing Grace (How Sweet the Sound)
- 46 A Baptist’s Beliefs
- 47 A Gospel Call to Sinners
- 48 The Duty to Respond to the Gospel Message
- 49 The Ideal Student
- 50 The Unlawfulness of Enslaving Humans
- 51 An Appeal to the Higher Ranks of Society
- 52 Salvation Comes to a Sailor
- 53 Journal of an American Methodist
- 54 Guidelines for American Methodists
- 55 An Argument for Overseas Missionary Work
- 56 The Necessity of Evil
- 57 Godly Living in a New England Town
- 58 Debunking Racial Stereotypes
- 59 An Anglican Evangelical’s Sermon
- 60 True and False Religion Exposed
- 61 Godly Government during a Time of Crisis
- 62 A Conspiracy Theorist’s Theory
- Further Reading
