1-158-300 - Oxford Science Archive/Heritage Images

William Wilberforce, English philanthropist, evangelical Christian and anti-slavery campaigner, 1821. Entering Parliament in 1780, Wilberforce (1759-1833) campaigned tirelessly for the abolition of slavery. His efforts contributed to a bill being passed in 1807 outlawing slavery in the British West Indies, and in 1833, a month after his death, the Abolition of Slavery Act was passed by Parliament. Wilberforce also campaigned on other issues, including penal reform and help for the destitute. From The Royal Exile; or, Memoirs of Queen Caroline by John Adolphus. (London, 1821).