His Legacy
To this day, Wilberforce is well-known for being a part of the fight against the British slave trade. Despite it having been 183 years since Wilberforce’s death, his legacy lives on. Around 20,000 people, attended the 100th anniversary of his death. His house is now a museum and a large statue of him stands at Westminster Abbey.
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A movie about the life of William Wilberforce was made in 2006. You might recognize Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Wilberforce's life-long friend, William Pitt the Younger. |
"...we were very inspired by William Wilberforce. I think the thing I admire most about him was his tenacity. He had a goal and he stuck to it even though it took nearly his entire adult life. Not many people are able to stick to one thing for so long, especially when there are times they feel like no one else cares or understands. He took something that not many people even cared about and made it into something that the nation rose up against in the end."
-Janet and Geoff Benge, authors, interview
-Janet and Geoff Benge, authors, interview
"He inspired me in several different ways. He impacted the world by his tireless efforts to reform and transform the society and in that perspective, he inspires me to think about how I should reform and transform the society that I am living in today."
"Because of that, almost everybody in the government was against his bill, and whenever this happened, he seeked his friends, such as John Wesley and John Newton. In that sense, I need to seek out friends when the hard times come by in my life."
-Dr. Stephen Sim |
William Wilberforce directly impacted Frederick Douglass.
"When Wilberforce came forward, public attention became directed to the matter."
"Convinced that justice, that humanity, that all nature was on his side, believing that by perseverance he would succeed, he went on with his good work."
-Frederick Douglass, 1846 |
"You must derive great satisfaction from being thus employed in works of humanity and beneficence -- they who promote the happiness of others, advance their own." -Letter from John Jay to Wilberforce, 1795 |
"Every schoolboy knew his story." -Abraham Lincoln, 1858 |