Thomas Clarkson was an English abolitionist and a leading campaigner against the transatlantic slave trade. His tireless efforts to raise awareness and mobilize public opinion were instrumental in the eventual abolition of slavery in the British Empire. Clarkson's legacy inspires us to stand up for justice, showing that one person's dedication to a cause can bring about profound change and help to right historical wrongs.
"It appears first, that liberty is a natural, and government an adventitious right, because all men were originally free."
"When mankind first saw the necessity of government, it is probable that many had conceived the desire of ruling."
"Mankind have their local attachments. They have a particular regard for the spot, in which they were born and nurtured."
"Neither can men, by the same principles, be considered as lands, goods, or houses, among possessions. It is necessary that all property should be inferiour to its possessor. But how does the slave differ from his master, but by chance?"
"Should slavery be abolished there, (and it is an event, which, from these circumstances, we may reasonably expect to be produced in time) let it be remembered, that the Quakers will have had the merit of its abolition."