Wilberforce, Lincoln, and the Abolition of Slavery (Website)

There is a movie coming out nationwide on February 23 called Amazing Grace. It tells the story of William Wilberforce, the British abolitionist who led the movement to abolish the transatlantic slave trade. The 200th anniversary of Parliament’s vote to abolish the trade is February 23.

On its face, the movie doesn’t deal with American history, but Wilberforce had a profound impact on the abolitionist movement in the U.S.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History has created an online exhibition and a booklet for teachers and students that present a variety of original documents and images, from the Gilder Lehrman Collection and other archives, highlighting the story of the abolition of slavery in England and the U.S. For example, the exhibition and booklet include speeches from Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass in which they make reference to Wilberforce.