The Joy of William Wilberforce

Posted on August 26, 2026 
Filed under Culture wars, History, People

Paul Barnes reminds us of a key man in recent world history, and of some who influenced him –

“In 1786 Edmund Burke, the renowned orator and politician, was sure that the abolition of the slave trade was a fantasy – that it stood no hope of being accomplished. We might find this surprising, and think it would be obvious that something as horrendous as the capturing and selling of people should be abolished. Thus, it is difficult for us to understand just how impossible the abolition of the slave trade looked.

Although he was certainly not the only one against the Slave Trade, William Wilberforce has rightly taken primary place as the man who achieved the impossible. But how did Wilberforce achieve the impossible in a world that looked down on his faith and what he was trying to achieve? …”

– Read the full essay at AP, the national Presbyterian journal.

Image: Painting of Wilberforce by Anton Hickel.