Cover Story Black History Month
When the debate on the abolition of the African Slave Trade reached the House of Lords on 24 June 1806, it fell to Lord Grenville (aka William Wyndham Grenville), speaking as the prime minister, to move the Motion in the House. He told the Lords: “There is nothing comparable to the evil of the African Slave Trade to be found in the whole history of this world, ancient or modern.” Here is an abridged version of his and other MPs’ astounding addresses, put together by Osei Boateng.
The greatest evil on earth, ever!
M
Y LORDS, I MOVE THAT THE ORDER OF THE DAY be now read. The Order of the Day for taking into consideration the Resolution of the House of Commons: “That this House, considering the African Slave Trade to be contrary to the
principles of justice, humanity, and sound policy, will, with all practicable expedition, take effectual measures for the abolition of the said Trade, in such manner and at such period as may be deemed advisable.” My Lords, the first question is this: Is it true or false, that the
African Slave Trade is contrary to justice, contrary to humanity, and contrary to sound policy? In the first place, is it contrary to humanity? Because if it is contrary to humanity, it must be con- trary to justice. My Lords, does that man exist, is there one human being on the
face of the earth, in his senses, who will rise up and say that the Af- rican Slave Trade, lawful or unlawful, is not contrary to humanity? My Lords, if we were to define humanity, what should we say
it was? What are its attributes, what is its character? “A sympathy of feeling for the distress of others – a desire to accomplish good ends by good means.” Let any man examine these qualities, and tell you, if he can, how the Slave Trade agrees with either of them; and if he cannot, I think we can have no difficulty in saying that the Slave Trade is contrary to humanity. My Lords, what is the purpose of the African Slave Trade? To
seize human beings by force and violence, by artifice and fraud, and to carry them away from their friends, their families, and their country, for the pecuniary profit of those whom they never
46 | October 2011 | New African
saw, and into a country they never knew, to toil in slavery for life. Tat is the very definition of the Trade – to carry a vast number
of human beings, by thousands and by tens of thousands, from the Coast of Africa, their native land, for the purpose of being purchased, like so many head of cattle by your planters, and made slaves for life, in order to cultivate your colonies in the West Indies. My Lords, is it anything like humanity to tear human creatures
from their native soil and to sell them for slaves for life, in another country? To deprive them by force, and fraud, and cruelty, of all those things in which it has pleased the Creator to make the
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