Thomas Clarkson (1760–1846), the pioneering English abolitionist, prepared a "map" of the "streams" of "forerunners and coadjutors" of the abolitionist movement, which he published in his work, The History of the Rise, Progress, and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave-Trade by the British Parliament published in 1808.[1] The stylized map shows a riverine system with various branches representing the influences on the British and American abolition movements from before the seventeenth century to the late eighteenth century, which ultimately culminated in the British Parliament's passing of the Slave Trade Act. The list below is taken from Clarkson's map.

No women appear to be on the list other than Elizabeth I, although many in fact were involved in the movement including Hannah More, Joanna Baillie, and Anna Laetitia Barbauld. James Oglethorpe does not appear on the list, even though he and other Georgia Trustees prohibited slavery in the Province of Georgia. Oglethorpe later collaborated in opposing the slave trade with Granville Sharp, whom Clarkson describes as "the father of the cause in England". Slavery as both a moral and legal concern arose in the early days of the Georgia Colony, which prohibited slavery in 1735 and was challenged by neighbouring South Carolina, a slaveholding society.[2][3]

Many others who warrant mention may not be acknowledged in Clarkson's list. A section is provided below for the addition of other forerunners.

Clarkson's list

Clarkson's map

List of "forerunners and coajutors" on map:

Various forerunners to 1787

Die frühen Quäker in England

Quäker und/oder Abolitionisten in Amerika ab 1688

Verschiedene Quäker und/oder Abolitionisten in England und Amerika

Andere, bis 1787

Vorreiter der Abschaffung der Sklaverei, die nicht auf der Clarkson-Karte aufgeführt sind

Viele Londoner Salons und Zirkel der 1770er Jahre und später engagierten sich, zumindest intellektuell, gegen die Sklaverei und ebneten so den Weg für spätere Aktionen. Beispiele hierfür sind Johnsons Kreis, die Blue Stocking Society und die Mitarbeiter von James Oglethorpe. [ 4 ] [ 5 ]

Referenzen

  1. ^ Clarkson, Thomas. Die Geschichte des Aufstiegs, des Fortschritts und der Vollendung der Abschaffung des afrikanischen Sklavenhandels durch das britische Parlament . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.
  2. ^ Wilson, Thomas D. Der Oglethorpe-Plan: Aufklärungsdesign in Savannah und darüber hinaus . Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Press, 2012. Siehe Epilog.
  3. ^ Ettinger, Amos A. James Edward Oglethorpe: Imperial Idealist . Oxford, UK: Clarendon, 1936. Kapitel IX.
  4. ^ Eger, Elizabeth. Bluestockings: Women of Reason from Enlightenment to Romanticism. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.
  5. ^ Wilson, Thomas D. Der Oglethorpe-Plan: Aufklärungsdesign in Savannah und darüber hinaus. Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Press, 2012, Epilog.