Thomas Clarkson | |
|---|---|
 Thomas Clarkson by Carl Frederik von Breda, painting in the National Portrait Gallery | |
| Born | 28 March 1760 Wisbech, Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England |
| Died | 26 September 1846 (aged 86) Playford, Suffolk, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
| Known for | Abolitionism |
| Relatives | John Clarkson, brother |
Thomas Clarkson (28 March 1760 – 26 September 1846) was an English abolitionist, and a leading campaigner against the slave trade in the British Empire. He helped found the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade (also known as the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade) and helped achieve passage of the Slave Trade Act 1807, which ended British trade in slaves.
He became a pacifist in 1816 and, with his brother John, was among the twelve founders of the Society for the Promotion of Permanent and Universal Peace.[1][2]
In his later years, Clarkson campaigned for the abolition of slavery worldwide. In 1840, he was the key speaker at the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society's first convention in London which campaigned to end slavery in other countries.
- ^ "Thomas Clarkson". www.wisbechmuseum.org.uk. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ Ceadel, Martin (1996). The origins of war prevention : the British peace movement and international relations, 1730-1854 (Reprint. ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 521. ISBN 9780198226741.