Thomas Clarkson

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Clarkson by Carl Frederik von Breda

Thomas Clarkson (born March 28, 1760 in Wisbech in Cambridgeshire , † September 26, 1846 in Ipswich ) was an opponent of slavery in England and one of the founders of the abolitionist movement .

biography

Clarkson studied at St John's College , Cambridge . In 1783 he was ordained a deacon . In 1785 he won a rhetoric competition advertised by the university theologian Peter Packard on the subject of “Is it lawful to enslave others against their will?” Two years later, he founded the “Society” with the slavery opponent Granville Sharp , the printer James Phillips and some Quakers in London for the Abolition of Slavery ”(Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade), also known as the Abolitionist Movement. Initially, the movement only fought the slave trade that movement member Olaudah Equiano had suffered on his own body. Clarkson conducted extensive research in the port cities, interviewed stakeholders and collected material on human trafficking in the Atlantic slave trade . For the political implementation of his goals, he used the contacts to the House of Commons William Wilberforce . The slave trade was finally banned in 1807 and Clarkson saw the final abolition of slavery in Britain in 1833.

The then famous English stage and marine painter Clarkson Frederick Stanfield received his first name 'Clarkson' from his parents out of admiration for Thomas Clarkson.

souvenir

  • In 1834, the place Clarksonville in St. Ann was founded in Jamaica , which is named after him.
  • In 1857 a St. Mary's churchyard an obelisk was built, which reminds of Clarkson.
  • In 1879 a monument was erected in Wadesmill in honor of Clarkson.
  • The Clarkson Memorial was built in Wisbech. This location is also home to the Clarkson School, Thomas Clarkson Academy, a pub called the Clarkson Arms, and Clarkson Avenue.
  • In 1996 a plaque commemorating Clarkson was placed at Westminster Abbey . She is near the grave of William Wilberforce .
  • Numerous streets in the United Kingdom are named after him, for example in Hull , Cambridge and Ipswich (Suffolk).
  • In July 2010, the Church of England added Synod Clarkson to its list of Commemorations. Clarkson's Day is July 30th (shared with William Wilberforce)
  • The poet William Wordsworth wrote a sonnet in honor of Clarkson.
  • The British actor Rufus Sewell plays him in the feature film Amazing Grace (2006) .
  • Henning Mankell describes the life and work of Clarkson in his last book "Quicksand".

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "Church honors anti-slavery campaigner Thomas Clarkson," BBC
personal data
SURNAME Clarkson, Thomas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English opponent of slavery and founder of the abolitionism movement
DATE OF BIRTH March 28, 1760
PLACE OF BIRTH Wisbech
DATE OF DEATH September 26, 1846
Place of death Ipswich