A Letter on the Abolition of the Slave Trade Addressed to the freeholders and other inhabitants of Yorkshire

"A Letter on the Abolition of the Slave Trade" by William Wilberforce is a forceful plea from the early 1800s, directed to the people of Yorkshire. It passionately argues for the immediate end to the slave trade, highlighting its terrible cruelty and injustice. The piece opens by reminding readers of the author's long fight in Parliament to end slavery, a battle he has fought for over a decade. Wilberforce speaks to the moral duty of his audience and the history of debates around slavery. He fears that the public is forgetting how awful slavery is, and that old, incorrect ideas against abolition are resurfacing. He prepares to share the truth about how awful the slave trade is, especially in Africa, stating the facts and reasons why it must be stopped. He stresses that the British people have a big moral duty to act together to wipe out this deep stain on humanity.