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St John's College and the

Abolition of the Trans-AtlanticSlave Trade

2007 is the Bicentenary of the Act of 1807 which abolished the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. The campaign for the ending of which was led by two members of St John’s College, Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce, (though other Johnians were also heavily involved, for example Thomas Gisborne and Thomas Babington). It is therefore highly appropriate that the College mark the Bicentenary.

The theme of our February conference, Campaigning Then and Now, found its inspiration with Thomas Clarkson, who was inspired to a lifetime commitment to campaigning for the Abolitionist cause after winning a University Essay competition in 1785. Its subject Is it lawful to make slaves of others against their will? having affected him deeply, he co-founded The Committee to Abolish the Slave Trade in 1787 and became its principal organizer and researcher. Described by the poet Samuel Coleridge as ‘a moral steam engine’, Clarkson with others mobilized public support throughout the country pioneering many of the methods used in modern campaigning. 

The College hosted a weekend of events to celebrate the anniversary.

• LISTEN to Professor Ruth J. Simmons' lecture Hidden in Plain Sight: Slavery and Justice in Rhode Island
• LISTEN to the Gospel Mass recorded in the College Chapel, featuring the College Choir and the London Adventist Chorale 
• Download the sermon (pdf) heard at the Gospel Mass, given by Duncan Dormor.
• Further pdfs of lectures delivered at the February conference are available on the Bicentenary Events page.