Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Mr Pitt and Wilberforce

we were watching the old film The Young Mr Pitt yesterday.



mostly about his fight against the corruption in government, and about pointing out the need to fight Napoleon... alas, without the background knowledge, younger folks would be clueless to what was going on.

However, his best friend was Wilberforce, best known for fighting slavery and slavery like labor practices in the UK.

The British abolished the trafficking of slaves in 1807 and abolished slavery in 1833, mainly due to Wilberforce and others who were inspired by their Christian faith. And that was made into a film a couple years ago


But what about Pitt Jr?

although his priorities were to fight Napoleon in his later years, he did support his friend: And he gave a famous speech against slavery in 1792. LINK2:


In an undated letter to her husband George Pretyman-Tomline, Elizabeth Pretyman writes: "...Four o'Clock. Mr. [Edward] Eliot is come - very well. He [Eliot] speaks in raptures of Mr. Pitt's speech on the Slave trade. Mr. Martin got up in a transport to compliment him [Pitt] upon it - and a Black [man] who was [sitting] in the Gallery [of the House of Commons] waited for him when the house was over, and went up to him [Pitt] and made a very very low bow so grateful and so reverential! that it quite affected all who saw him. What must be the feelings of your friend [Mr. Pitt] at that moment!"

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