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that God ordained their cause by never giving up, even after decades of failure. As the head of the movement, Wilberforce gives up more than he bargained for the cause—his youth and his health. However, recognizable good does come from the campaign. Many British citizens rally to the abolitionists’ side and sign their petition. Wilberforce also meets his future wife through his abolitionist friends. Awareness and support is raised by demonstration and peaceful protests. Little by little, inch-by -inch, Wilberforce and his allies gain ground in the British Empire, even in high places with William Pitt, an old friend of Wilberforce’s who became the youngest Prime Minister in English history. The journey takes Wilberforce twenty-six years but he finally succeeds in his quest when the Slave Trade Act of 1807 passes in Parliament. Although he didn’t live to see the complete abolition of slavery (which came to pass in with the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833), he died knowing that the world had changed and that others would pick up where he left off. As far as great Christian leaders and influences go, William Wilberforce is a stirring example of dedication and faith. His passion for God was so great that it came before anything else, including his job in Parliament. One of my
favorite scenes shows him shortly after his conversion, going down into his garden early in the morning and praying, marveling at the beauty of God’s creation. When his manservant finds him wandering around getting wet in the morning dew and investigating spider webs, he reminds his master of his daily appointments and duties, and asks if Wilberforce has “found God.” Wilberforce replies, “I think He found me. You have any idea how inconvenient that is? How idiotic it will sound? I have a political career glittering ahead of me, and in my heart I want spider’s webs.” Wilberforce follows his conviction with a purposedriven life, choosing to use his high position to champion reform in many areas, calling for positive changes in morals,
education, religion and working conditions. At the very end of the movie, Lord Charles Fox pays Wilberforce a great compliment that essentially sums him up in a nutshell: “When people speak of great men, they think of men like Napoleon—men of violence. Rarely do they think of peaceful men. But contrast the reception they will receive when they return home from their battles. Napoleon will arrive in pomp and in power, a man who’s achieved the very summit of earthly ambition. And yet his dreams will be haunted by the oppressions of war. William Wilberforce, however, will return to his family, lay his head on his pillow and remember: the slave trade is no more.” ♥