On 13 December 1776, the Rev. William Turner preached the first avowedly
anti-slavery sermon in the North of England. Copies of his sermon were
distributed far and wide - in so doing, he had fired the first shot in
the battle to end slavery had begun.
Four years later, Rev. Turner, members of his congregation and the Rev.
Christopher Wyvill founded 'The Yorkshire Association' to agitate for
political and social reform. The Association sought universal suffrage,
annual parliaments and the abolition of slavery. In the West Riding,
despite furious opposition, by 1783 nearly 10,000 signatures were
collected in support of the aims of the Association. Slavery, or rather
its abolition, was now on the political agenda.
The Battle Against Slavery charts the story of a group of West Riding
radicals in their bid to abolish slavery both in the United Kingdom and
abroad. Such became the influence of this group, whose Unitarian beliefs
were illegal in Britain, that the general election of 1806 in Yorkshire
was fought on an abolitionist platform. At a time when the rest of the
world engaged in slavery, this small body was fighting almost
single-handedly to end such practices. Gradually, their beliefs began to
spread across the country and across the Channel to France, the
principles of which found resonance during the French Revolution and
even across the Atlantic to America.
At a time, today, when the history of slavery is the subject of
considerable debate worldwide, this revealing insight into the
abolitionist movement, which demonstrates how ordinary men and women
battled against governments and the establishment, needs to be told.
The Battle Against Slavery adds an important dimension to the
continuing debate over Britain's, and other nations', involvement in the
slave trade and demonstrates how the determination of just a few
right-minded people can change world opinion forever.
