In case you hadn’t realised, the end of March saw the official anniversary of the passing of the Act of Parliament that ended the slave trade in Britain. The release in the UK of the film Amazing Grace that tells the story of William Wilberforce has by now been widely reviewed and commented on, particularly in the Christian press. So isn’t it a little past the event to be still talking about it?
Perhaps not when the crusade behind the film is to engrain our memories with a story that we should never forget. The story of the end of institutionally led exploitation and the perseverance of individuals who had the vision and opportunity to do something about it. It is also the story of the Christian faith echoed by John Newton, who in his old age remembered only two things; ‘That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great saviour’.
Introduction only
The film provides an introduction to the issue rather than a detailed examination of the nature of the slave trade. For instance, it does not reveal how the economic objections raised by Wilberforce’s opponents in the House of Commons were overcome. It suggests that the abolitionists turned the tide by (in their own words) ‘cheating’, through an indirect assault via a bill on flags of convenience. It also doesn’t explain why most of the British upper class were ignorant of what was happening — the reason being that the actual slave trade did not pass through British ports so they saw very few slaves — even the Duke of Clarence had to buy his ‘nigger’ coachman abroad.
